Third Ion-13/8Bit

Very talented and creative artwork here. It makes you wonder what lies ahead. Is there anger? A struggle? A fight back against something evil bringing on something righteous and mighty? We'll see. One however must remember not to judge a book by it's cover, or an album by its cover, again. We shall see. Something may lurk within that may engage the listener with utter amazement.

Track 1. 13_8 Bit- A digital melody reminiscent of an old cool video game, starts the album perfectly. Quite fun and entertaining. It quickly fades into a sweet fucking syncopation of metal. Vocals echo through the mix, you can't really make out the words. Great vocal melody though, it feel's a bit of a soft whisper in the mix. Word clarity is not very good. The music moves along with its heavy groove for a moment, to pause and drift back towards it's digital yet playful and crazy nature. It is like a deranged psycho on the loose. One minute it is a collection of heavy rocking grooves, and then either subtle or pronounces jumbles of digital video game play. A tasteful metal groove, filled with awesome riffs takes control. Good tight timing all around. Crisp drumming. Enjoyable vocals. The digital video game delivers a final blast that echos to the ending of the track.

Track 2. Capitol Spill- A dark and heavy bass filled opening. Distortion crackles and summons itself quickly onto the scene. Slowly it thunders around like a creep with an awesome storm of twirling violence. Delicious electric melodies alternate in and out of the mix. A point is reached, when the music becomes a great aggressive groove, detailed with dual guitars full flush with howling metal riffs. Vocal's take a similar form here, they have a subtle distant feel in the mix, seemingly an issue with word clarity. Though the passion, expression and melody are acceptable. Very crisp drums. With the flicker of a tasty sudden dancing bass line, the track goes into a crazed aggression of distortion and double bass. In what seemed like a prolonged period of playing, vocals finally simmer back into the mix. The original hook seems to come back around in the song, to attempt to finish the story it started. The groove of the song plays out, and ends upon a solid tackle of the snare drum.

Track 3. Zero Mass- A seemingly immediate rushed through melody begins this crazed yet controlled technical madness. It sounds like a very generalized mix of the metal flavor and game come to life though gone insane. It feels like a robot hell bent on tackling control over your senses. A metal invading force. Proficient with what it does best. The melody winds within the groove eclectically. The bass line squeezes out from the mix at the just rightly so times. The sudden overloaded mix of video game crazed effects thrown into brutal metal, is an insane flavor of fucked up mayhem. I do wish the vocals were more prominent in the mix, they sound ok, just not loud enough in the mix, they sound a bit soft and drawn back also, other than that things seem ok.

Track 4. Collapse- A somber yet clean piano begins this calm piece. Slowly deep meaningful drums enter the picture. Subtle sipping echoes of digital effects dance into the mix. A cool heavy rocking syncopation beckons itself onto the scene. You can hear the vocals, though they still sound a bit distant and echoing in the mix. Clean yet expressive, and passionate. A bit of a metal break down, the instruments feel as if they are taking on the life of the digital video game effects in a way, and vice versa. There is an interesting grooving quality about this song, it's cool and catchy. The clean guitar riffs and dancing low rumbled bass are nice touches against the vocals, along with the crisp tight drum beat. Love the transition back to fucked up here. An insane stop and go clutter of metal, ascends higher up the fretboard, until the syncopation changes again, it charges forth an intellectual groove, which delivers upon your ears a sweet yet melodic metal solo, combined with a pronounced thrilling bass. A piano line subtly plays and brings the original song hooks back into the fray. Everything comes full circle within the music, the song ends up on the vocals, this is the moment of the song when the vocals are the most clearest and you can actually hear what's being said, I don't actually like that. I'd prefer more clarity with the vocals, and the vocals more pronounced in the mix.

Track 5. Particle Displacement Mechanism- In what sounds like a pronounced goth laden organ, out plays a theme fit for a funeral. But that all comes to a quick utter halt, pretty damn quick. A thundering yet crisp distortion alternates with clean melodies, and the steady well timed drums. The vocals still feel as if they are a bit too far back in the mix of the music, but I do like what I can hear. Very technical, spit fire drums they have there. The heavy fucking guitar riffs chug about like pissed off demonic computers from hell. A subtle dancing digital melody jumps in and out of the mix, a nice touch there. Just when you think things are over, your ears are committed to more of a heavy digital slaughter filled with catchy riffs, and a powerful groove. It sounds as if the music has taken on the life of a machine of some sort. Sweet tasty bass solo here, simple yet crisp drums. Definitely that sense of a machine that's about to break down. You think the song is over, but there's more, it continues along with its groove. But the piece fades away just like you.

Track 6. The Kineticist- Brief and abrupt digital effects lead the way into this utter metal assault. After the intro is well established, it completely alternates into two or three different syncopation's, each preceding the next. The song takes on an open air groove with a heavy chilling affect. Some aggressive chugging comes to the table, though the drums remain somewhat calm. It's almost as if your being geared up for something big to happen. Similar issues with the vocals here, they sound good, just too far back in the mix. Another alternating riff to keep things honest, sweet eclectic melodies. Riffs jump seemingly from ear to ear in the mix as an evil foreboding feel tramples its way onto you. It thunders and roars. Crazy cool guitar solo that sounds as if it's lost it's own mind. And the song just descends into a cool digital chaos, a cool spike of digital energy sends the song back into it's random metal groove, the song ends upon the rightful echo of the vocals.

Track 7. Time Lapse Beta-A beautiful yet warm endearing piano leads the charge. An impressively awesome lead guitar with rich distortion brings about the digital frame of mind. The low echos rumble with their familiar echo, expression and they still sit back in the mix a bit. A cool syncopation catches your attention, but the music takes on their normal choppy presence. Which has become a bit of something to expect from this band. Very interesting rhythms. A lot of creativity here, cool palm muted riffing action. I just wonder how this music would sound or feel with the vocals doing some growling or even rasp in parts. The vocals completely hold back as a complete metal assault lays a doomsday of metal upon your ears. Very eclectic, and technical parts here. Mind provoking digital effects interwoven well. You feel as if you've reached the end, but your not even close. Another time, another place, a second chance perhaps, maybe it's an attempt to fulfill a promise, or carry out a last breathe or dying wish. The echo of the track and thunderous drums, rumble slowly into the picture. Like a distant yet mad and worrisome chaos looking to take over your life. The distortion explodes upon you, taking over your being as a whole. Your condition of human has been thus injected with metal. A crisp and yet soulful filled melody has overtaken the music. The clean vocals sound just a bit better with the clarity here, an improvement from what has come before, very interesting material. It descends back into it's dark and somber distorted self, the vocals reach deep to find a passionate whaling presence, just shy of a rasping roar. Clean melodies fit for a king wash across the sky that beholds your mind. A warning sets in of the impending end, at first it's a bell, then an alarm. Then it becomes a thrust of metal, a thousand miles strong. Hard hitting balls to the wall and then some METAL! Sick twisted riffs that will drive you mad, in a good way. More could possibly be said here, but hey all good things must come to an end.

Track 8. Van HAlien- A very alien, sounding digital melody begins this. The continued theme of a broken, and yet relaxed transmission gives the sense of something that is crazed and running in multiple directions. There is a heavy sustained groove that stops and goes, delivering insane melodies, and head trip induced digital perception. For a moment the music dies, and you think your maybe in the cock pit of an alien ship. The sharp and timely drums take over, a divinely inspiring effect takes control, only long enough to cause a waiver of confusion within your own mind. A dark and evil overtone of an alien presence snatches your will. A cool foreboding low riff dooms it's way to the front of the line. Slow, yet unforgiving. A sound of whispered crunches with breathe can be heard, you wonder if these are some sort of vocals. Squealing guitars, and digital whines alternate to create an insane melodramatic affect. The song begins to lose itself a bit, you begin to ponder maybe if it's become a bit watered down. It basically repeats the same groove for a while, and descends into a flat line, where the signal is close to death, fighting, and then finally it dies. This is hands down one of the weirdest reviews I've ever had. This band has however done some things that I have never heard though, the usage of singular individualistic digital effects that pique your mind, in places where you would expect a melodic lead guitar, you got extra parts with these expressive digital parts. Almost like the music was a machine moving along the entire time on this wave length of digital alien strength or maybe a transmission of metal evil, but alien. Either way, it is very unique yet calm, melodic and with brutal metal pieces well placed through the album. Clean, at times, transitioning quite well to all out in your face metal.

My only real complaint here are the vocals, I wish some roars, or rasp driven parts would have been installed here and there. The clean vocals had plenty of expression and melody, both the lead and backing, but clarity was not too good a times, really only a handful of times can you clearly hear the words that are spoken. Also near the end of the album, the only attempt at a roaring pair of vocals, which I believe is the breathing crisping parts, during the alien cock pit part of the song. They were so low you could barely tell they were vocals, or were they some crazy effect inserted there? I am not sure. How can they get better? More clarity with vocals, better lead solos, and add some roars or raspy parts to the songs to change stuff around a bit to make it interesting. Either way, a mind boggling piece of music inside and out. A thorough mind altering trance of metal. Rating 8/10.