The Algorithm

Brute Force

Written by: PP on 19/06/2016 16:36:52

Bands are often talked about as the future of metal, typically in the context of hyping new entrants to the metal scene who experience a rapid rise to the top. Bring Me The Horizon, for instance, have been called that in the past. Here, we're simply referring to up-and-coming names in the scene rather than a particular stylistic trend or a soundscape as such. So how does the future metal actually sound like, then? You could point towards modern metallers Sonic Syndicate, Sybreed etc, given their next-gen future metal soundscapes and not be wrong. But there is one artist above all who has successfully demonstrated a sound that feels like it was teleported here from the year 2983: The Algorithm. What started out as an electronic project by Rémi Gallego, has since evolved into a warped amalgamation of djent, progressive metal, mathcore, drum'n'bass, trance, and dubstep through two critically acclaimed albums "Polymorphic Code" (2012) and "Octopus4" (2014). These all-instrumental opuses demonstrated just what is possible when thinking outside of the box and exploring all of your musical influences with an open mind.

"Brute Force", the third full-length by The Algorithm, follows suit. Hypnotizing trance melodies morph freely into pure drum'n'bass while incorporating djent riffs and progressive elements in the process. Metal and electronic music are seamlessly merged together into an all-instrumental sound that is hyper-futuristic and fitting for any psychedelic acid trip or a lofty sci-fi space exploration movie. 8-bit melodies compete with effects boards and ultra-tight, compressed guitars and drum patterns that give the record its metallic weight despite leaning heavily towards electronic music otherwise. Many songs like "Shellcode" and "Brute Force" are incredible feats of sound engineering that should appeal equally to fans of TesseracT and Vildhjarta as they would to fans of Pendulum. Of other recent bands exploring similar territory, we've heard Hacktivist merge hip hop and djent , and koRn going through their dubstep phase on "The Path Of Totality". All of these, to me, represent a paradigm shift in metal music, delivering a truly futuristic soundscape that fully removes the genre from its original confines and into something totally different. And The Algorithm on "Brute Force" do it more radically than any of the aforementioned bands.

It is true that sections of "Brute Force" are so far out in the electronic realm - see "Rootkit" - that it becomes difficult to argue they are even relevant in the context of this magazine. Still, the heavy oomph and the brutally heavy soundscape - despite lacking recognizable guitar sounds - lends itself far more to fans of metal than it does to fans of electronic music. And that is the beauty of The Algorithm and "Brute Force"; it's truly a glimpse of a future, hundreds of years from now, where all genres have blended together via technological prowess: a singularity.

Download: Shellcode, Brute Force, Boot, Rootkit
For the fans of:TesseracT, Animals As Leaders, Hacktivist, Chimp Spanner, Vildhjarta, Pendulum
Listen: Facebook

Release date 01.04.2016
FixT

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