Blotted Science - The Machinations Of Dementia - review
Blotted Science - The Machinations Of Dementia - review
Band
Blotted Science Release date
September 18, 2007 Tracklist
01. Synaptic Plasticity02. Laser Lobotomy
03. Brain Fingerprinting
04. Oscillation Cycles
05. Activation Synthesis Theory
06. R.E.M.
07. Night Terror
08. Bleeding In The Brain
09. Vegetation
10. Narcolepsy
11. E.E.G. Tracings
12. Sleep Deprivation
13. The Insomniac
14. Amnesia
15. Adenosine Breakdown
16. Adenosine Buildup
A review by
Bas January 15, 2009
It is hard to label Machinations Of Dementia with a certain musical style but what I can say for sure that it's technically over the top! If you still want a genre attachment other than "very progressive and technical" I'd say this album is more thrash metal than anything else, with some death metal elements too. But I doubt it matters much, as instrumental music which relies on technicality to the absolute max it doesn't sound like "just" thrash metal anyway. The music just sounds like a long row of different guitar and bass guitar solos and riffs stitched together and undermined with some very technical death metal drumming.
One of the things that make this CD great to me are the song titles. Something that should usually be the most unimportant thing about music but which gains a lot of importance through the lack of lyrics in this case. The titles all relate to brain physiology, psychological methods and sleep psychology. These being subjects that greatly interest me on a personal level the music, which usually fits perfectly to the title conjure up a lot of imagery in my mind. For example Vegetation (a vegetative state is a state in which the person is theoretically awake, but without any awareness whatsoever, you can imagine a guy just sitting in a chair all day staring at a point on a blank wall not reacting to anything that happens around him) is a short, dreamy and tranquil part in which not much happens at all, Narcolepsy (a condition in which the affected person can suddenly fall asleep during any time of the day (in bad cases)) is a mainly hectic piece with short dreamy intervals throughout the track, then it continues its hectic pace.
Technically this album is pretty much flawless and if you like technical instrumental stuff you should go for this one without second thought! But for me the main flaw of this CD is its length. Without offering much diversity it clocks in at 57 minutes. 40 minutes would have been a perfect length in my opinion and this would have tripled the re-listen value for me. As it is I might listen to this album for twenty minutes or half an hour from time to time, but I don't see myself sitting through the whole thing over and over, for what it is it's simply too long for me.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 10 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written by Bas | January 15, 2009
Comments
Comments:
16
Visited by
255 users
 Posts: 2574 |
Posts: 2574
Great review. Mentioning the titles in the way you did made me wanna listen to this album again and analyze and research the music and how the song names go with it.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 671  |
Posts: 671
I agree with you on the length issue. I have listened to this album quite a few times. it would be more if it were not for the length. A much shorter instrumental release by an artist (not to undercut your review) is 'Tears and Smiles' by Neverending Story. It clocks in at around 38 minutes. Not too short, not too long. I put it up against this album. An enjoyable listen but not quite as wowing in the technical department. Check it out 
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 1856  |
Posts: 1856
Alex Webster actually Plays Bass for Once LMFAO, but really good stuff right here 
Loading...
|
 Posts: 2751 |
Posts: 2751
Agreed... just a great all around performance
Loading...
|
 Posts: 5591 |
Posts: 5591 Written by K✞ulu on 15.01.2009 at 23:46 well the whole topic is just something that interests me really much so of course i had no other option but mentioning it naturally the songs are only loosely based on the subjects, but it gives all the tracks a bit of extra "personality" in my opinion Written by MetalManic on 15.01.2009 at 23:50 yeah usually instrumental albums have a harder time fully grasping the listener to begin with and are easily discarded as "background music" which really isn't fair to the musicianship in this case! so i also think around 40 (35-45) minutes would have been a more appropriate length
---- BAS - Beautifully Accented Sexiness
Loading...
|
 Posts: 8902 |
Posts: 8902
I am going to have to check this album out, sounds like something I'd really dig.
---- (space for rent)
Loading...
|
| Posts: 2574 |
Posts: 2574 Written by Dane Train on 16.01.2009 at 19:49 Well, Dane, it sounds a lot like Death Metal, but without vocals. I don't really agree that it's Progressive Metal, but anyways it's worth checking out.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
Loading...
|
| Posts: 8902 |
Posts: 8902 Written by K✞ulu on 16.01.2009 at 20:00 I just got it and really love it. It is very similar to Behold... The Arctopus.
---- (space for rent)
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 75  |
Posts: 75
This album is soooooo sick! one of the best instrumental albums i've ever heard!!!!!!! this should be teached in music schools!!!!!
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 8 |
|
 Posts: 887 |
Posts: 887
Yeah, its abit too long. I also don't c myself sitting through the whole thing. Actually, thats not true. I pretty much only listen to Laser Lobotomy these days. Oh, and I also agree with Ioannisk..
---- Freeze! Step away from the hubris.
Loading...
|
| Posts: 2574 |
Posts: 2574
I listened to a few songs in total darkness last night and I finally realized how these guys wrote music. The music itself tells the story; no lyrics needed. Wow, this album opens up in a different way to me.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 7  |
Posts: 7 Written by K✞ulu on 16.01.2009 at 20:00 Death metal is definitely a large, large element in the mix here (which is not surprising considering Webster and Zeleney's backgrounds), and I disagree with the reviewer's classification as thrash, but it is also certainly progressive. The time-sigs are absolutely insane (and fluidly changing) throughout and tempo changes abound, so this is thoroughly progressive by the definition. It also bears a lot of elements commonly associated with prog metal, such as extreme technicality, frequently changing passages and concepts, staccato passages, the use of alternate scales, key shifts, sophisticated hi-hat and cymbal work, linear drumming, nonconventional snare placement, and occasional ambiance.
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 7 |
Posts: 7 Written by ioannisk on 29.01.2009 at 20:33 And you should be "teached" in grammar schools. 
Loading...
|
|
Posts: 75 |
Loading...
|
| Posts: 2751 |
Posts: 2751 Written by MLSilbernagel on 05.03.2009 at 20:56 I couldn't tell if this was sarcasm or not until I looked at your rating... you definitely sound like a prog fan. A little music theory from Ron:
Loading...
|
Hits total: 8446 | This month: 17