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| Album |
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| SYNTHETIC BREED - FRACTURED |
Buzz Magazine |
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| Xtreme Measures - Self-titled |
Joshua Turner |
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| Xtreme Measures - Self-Titled |
Tom MacMillan |
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LOCAL EP REVIEW - SYNTHETIC BREED - FRACTURED
(Reproduced from Buzz Magazine, Sept 2005)
It bespeaks of the quality of the Aussie Heavy music scene once again when I receive a release of this quality from a local band, who are as yet unsigned! Synthetic Breed are a Melbourne five-piece who wear their cyber-Metal influences (ie. Fear Factory, Strapping Young Lad) pretty firmly on their collective sleeves. But they do it so ridiculously well that you can’t help but be hopeful for the future of the band, and the scene itself.
Their bio states ‘The Breed’s songs demonstrate an extensive knowledge of the Metal genre’. This is no idle boast – they back it up, and then some, with their industrial tinged Metal assault. But not only are they possessed of the skilled and precision musicianship required to pull off this genre of Metal with style, they know exactly how to write riffs and rhythms, and structure their tunes for the most devastating effect.
I love the slightly discordant chorus on ‘Cybernetics’, and the last track ‘Paradox’ is a swirling, chaotic masterpiece. With just a shade more in the way of dynamics/diversity, and a bigger recording budget, and SB will be ready to make a major challenge on the world Metal stage.
Fractured is unsigned release of the year so far. And will take a lot of beating. It gets
4/5
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Xtreme Measures - Self-titled
(Joshua Turner, June 2005
)
After sizing this one up, I must say it’s comprised of extremely good compositions. The bass is thick as a brick while the guitars are hot and sticky. Conversely, the keyboards are as tart as toffee. This dish comes served with all the amenities from sour to salty to sweet.
While the pulse beats like a large hairy beast, the pace suggests a creature that’s hibernating through a long and lingering slumber. The song flows through rigid veins as pressure passes through a heavy heart, extending to the outermost extremities. There is nothing overly fast in there, but it bursts against the seams and really pounds the senses. These monstrous and melodic passages are quite tepid to the touch.
The first track, “Fragile,” isn’t anything you’d find on a Yes album nor is it anything to come from Sting either. Come to think of it, the title is deceiving as there is nothing broken in it at all. To the contrary, the sound is solid and sturdy. The guitar solo charges like a bull, but by no means is this stampede stomping through a china shop.
After a very short interlude by the name of “Rise of the Midnight Sun,” we get mean-spirited jazz in “Unsound Reflection.” Like the earlier song, “Fragile,” this one breaks for a solo. Instead of a guitar, the keys take forefront this time as they light up the floor with a playful parade of passionate dance moves.
“Turbulence” takes us on an awkward ascension into the sky.Every so often, an air current catches the wing and causes the fuselage to shake. The tempo changes frequently as air control arbitrarily directs the vessel to change its altitude at will. This cut endures an erratic course around congested airspace.
The next one, “Misanthropia,” sounds like it’s straight out of a Dream Theater album. It takes us through Hell’s Kitchen and then swings by the city of Metropolis. In contrast, the bass is quick and catchy. This is what you could expect to come from Jonas Reingold’s camp. For this reason, I like this song, yet at 9 and a half minutes, it’s not nearly as dainty as the other ditties.
“Tears of the Sun” is nothing like the flick that features Bruce Willis. Instead, it is laidback and languid. There is no danger in the trails of this fern-infested forest.
On the other hand, it’s time to get ready to rumble when we encounter the song entitled, “War Zone.” It’s dark and dreary as beams of light seemingly shoot off in all directions. There is more at stake here than bragging rights when it comes to this game of laser tag. As you make your way through each alley, you must be weary of hunters lurking in the shadows. While some areas have more light than others, caution must be considered in the lit-up areas as well. The ominous signs are everywhere. Nothing is truly safe in this song.
“Distraction” might sidetrack you from whatever it is you’re doing, but its alluring sound will never lose your focus. The acoustic guitar in the beginning will certainly gain your attention. It then continues to hold your concentration through many meaty melodies akin to Gordian Knot’s Emergent. Halfway through we receive some trembles in the transmission. Your mind will really open up to the medley of melodies to follow. It’s my favorite on the album, because it is so artistically rich and enticing.
What surfaces in “Illusion” is some of the trickiest time signatures ever to be heard. Simply put, your ears will be stupefied. This track teases the senses with sinister undertones and unexpected maneuvers. Each artist seems to marching to the beat of a different drum. The coordination might be in there, but it’s terribly subtle. It’s convoluted, but somehow it computes.
While Xtreme Measures is completely instrumental, the musicians still had me hanging on every note. There is very little repetition in the music and when the themes resurface, they never appear to be exactly same. This music is mature and masculine. It’s takes radical steps to appease the listener. In the end, it meets my rigorous standards and it shouldn’t take extreme measures for you to like this album either.
8.5/10
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Xtreme Measures (Rock/Fusion/Progressive - Independent)
(Tom MacMillan
)
Xtreme Measures are obviously totally absorbed with music.
Perhaps to some peoples' ears this is pleasing; indeed, to fans of progressive rock, this is a preference. One can see, or, rather, hear, a tedious effort put into their self-titled debut, a methodical approach. One can hear that the group places more emphasis on technicality than on melody.
For example, on the track "Turbulence," the band begins with a brief, chaotic series of 32nd notes, changes time signatures, and plays a major melody, a theme, if you will, and again changes meter into another theme. Such is the life of the progressive rock band, complex and ever-changing, and such is Xtreme Measures.
Xtreme Measures admirably try to push their own boundaries as musicians. Drummer Daniel Luttick, one of the most able drummers the music world has ever known, has an incredible command of rhythm and feel. Constantly and without warning, he changes syncopation, meter, and reverses the beat while maintaining a natural flow. In addition to this impressive (if not confusing) approach to music, Luttick plays with utterly impeccable technique.
Still more impressive is the Xtreme Measures string section. On "Tears of the Sun," guitarist Nick Carr attacks the melody with relentlessly exacting precision. In the same way, Dean Gaudin has mastered the bass. Whether fretless, four, five, or six string; we hear him in all forms on Xtreme Measures, most notably on "Rise of the Midnight Sun."
Xtreme Measures is more about virtuosity than melody; in fact, the music is almost 'unhummable.' Moreover, on this "long awaited" debut album, Xtreme Measures accomplishes a total amalgamation of the pomposity of progrock, the groove of fusion, and the improvisational genius of jazz.
4.5/5
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