Scientist are an inherently fascinating band. Featuring mastermind Erik Plonka, formerly of Yakuza, their sophomore release, the intimidating and demented 10100II00101 will capture your imagination and hold you in thrall. This is the kind of release that gets at something fundamental that I think that we all love about metal – its capacity to be weird, unorthodox, and endlessly enjoyable because of it. With a band like Scientist, even though there are a lot of moments that push boundaries, the entire album is couched in what could loosely be called sludge metal. Of course, from there Scientist use this as a jumping off point for their sickening riffs to expand and violate your ears adding in all manner of exciting musical twists and turns.
One aspect of this record that really gets to me is the balance of Neurosis-like vocals and riffs with touches of pure noise, using the distortion and the results thereof almost as an instrument in and of itself. There is something almost apocalyptic about the way that the songs bleed into each other, using the feedback to bridge between pieces and making 10100II00101 feel more like a live experience. The simple fact of the matter is that Scientist have been able to take a highly cerebral sound and make it seem organic, a crucial step forward for a genre that so often feels sterilized and held back, Scientist have managed to create something that can't help but charm the listener because it feels… honest.
It might seem weird that the search for honesty is what we value in metal in 2016 – but that's just where the genre is right now, and few bands understand that better than Scientist do. What strikes me is the way that the band has been able to layer their sound in order to reflect upon the artistic vision. A song like 'Siege Captures Control' is a perfect example of this, using demented screams and an almost atonal solo in conjunction with a majestic chant in order to create illusions of grandeur that come slowly falling back down to earth. Simply put – the musicianship and compositional brilliance seen on 10100II00101 is impressive and is going to keep you coming back. No other band in the world is delivering music like this right now, and Scientist know it.
10100II00101 is an engaging release because it shows Scientist breaking rules and coming to terms with who they are. We get to hear them experimenting, yet not utterly breaking away from traditional metal. Instead they take on the much harder task of expanding the genre from the basis of one of the undergrounds most popular subgenres. Scientist are torn, twisted and wonderfully dark, crafting tracks that keep you coming back, time and time again, because the band is that damn good. As anthemic as it is mind boggling 10100II00101 is a brilliantly put together work that simply flows, and with that in mind the band has been able to carry me off to distant lands and embrace a bold and unique new future for the music that we love.
8/10
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