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BAND: Fractals
ALBUM: "Corridors"
YEAR RELEASED: 2011
RECORD LABEL: none
ALBUM TYPE: EP
* * * * * * * (7 out of 10 stars)
Today, we’ll be going over the 5 track EP/album “Corridors” by the band Fractals. Overall, the album is a solid 20 minute listen. Although the recording is far from groundbreaking, it is also far from being a novice release by semi-talented fans of mediocre music.
Let’s start at the beginning: Track 1: “Corridors”
The song starts off just as you would hope any metal recording to- right to the point. From the almost disturbing intro tone, Fractals hooks your interest with an interesting blend of almost dissonant tones. What seems to be, at first, a complete bludgeon-fest quickly evolves into an interesting journey into down-tuned rhythms and highly structured compositions. As the longest track on the recording, there are just enough hooks and surprise twists and turns as you seem to be presented a smorgasbord of crunchy riffs and epic-ness.
Next, Track 2 – “Destroy Yourself With Contradictions”
If you are a fan of relentless breakdowns, and guitars tuned down so low you wonder how they were able to ensure that the guitar strings slapping against the fret board weren’t captured on tape, this is your track. The tuning of the guitars on this track is almost inhuman. This is one of those fun tracks that I’m sure would be a blast to see live. I’m not the biggest fan of breakdowns, but if done well, will never knock a song down for them. A good track to chill to and bang your head a bit.
Track 3 – “(Re)Emerge” – (Loco’s favorite track)
This track is definitely right up my alley. It’s technical, sci-fi-ey, and a little tough to put your finger on. What I love most is how they’re able to toggle the song writing to mix abrupt, “in your face” riff writing with a bit of an upbeat twist. This song is a fun endeavor through the dangerous peaks and valleys of metal. From the result, you can tell that the members of Fractals challenged themselves a bit during the song writing process. On first listen, and each one after, the last minute’s outro is what caught my interest. Definitely my top pick of the disc.
Track 4 – “Insomniac”
The fourth, and final, track of the album. Led into a chaotic finale by the track that precedes it, “Insomniac” is an excellently written track. I believe that the track is absolutely strong enough to stand on its own. It is melodic and full of life. They pack a mean punch, and keep the choppy, upbeat tone that was added about half way through the disc. The solos outro riffs, and overall tone of the feedback used as atmosphere take me back to some of the Swedish bands that I discovered for the first time back in my high school days. Great stuff.
Track 5 – “Contortions (Remix)” – Bonus Track
Since this song is a bonus track, I won’t go into too much detail. Especially since it is actually a remix of a track found on an earlier Fractals album (Paradox). I enjoyed it thoroughly, and will probably add it to many of my playlists and workout routine. However, as previously mentioned, it appears on a previous album. Thus, it will be reviewed with said album. That’s fair enough, right?
All in all, I definitely think that the track is worth a listen. For my tastes, I would pick this for a long road trip, or period of time where you would like to zone out and just relax to some well written metal. You’re probably not going to write home about it, but don’t hesitate to throw it on for a trip to the grocery store, or a long drive through heavy traffic. The disc is very well thought out, and the boys in Fractals are very talented. This is the first album I’ve heard of theirs, and definitely will not be the last. I cannot wait to hear more!
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