Droid: Terrestrial Mutation 2×12″

Description

Originally issued in 2017 on CD by Nightbreaker Records and then on cassette tape by Temple Of Mystery Records,Droid’sscorching debut albumTerrestrial Mutationsso impressed Shadow Kingdom that the label simply had to release it on vinyl. With enviable ease and effortlessness,Droidcreate some of the catchiest tech-thrash you’ll ever hear. The signposts of the subgenre are all accounted for acrossTerrestrial Mutations– twisting time signatures, palpitating riff mutations, labyrinthine song lengths, and even that thinner style of production which highlights each player’s performance – but unlike most tech-thrash,Droidcreate actual hooks that are both immediately memorable and infinitely challenging…and they create a ton of them across the album’s 57-minute runtime.

Sure, there’s no shortage of dazzling/mind-boggling musicianship acrossTerrestrial Mutations(it comes with the territory), but this power-trio always puts the song first. As such, there’s a certain spaciness – or, at least, a sense of space in terms of texture – to their alternately hummable/haunting hooks, an effect that’s quite calming amidst all the technical trigonometry going on around them. Fittingly, the lyrical themes follow suit: “Abandoned Celestial State,” “Mission Drift,” “Suspended Animation,” and of course, the album’s title track among others. Additionally, while the production is more “airy” and sonic-sensitive, it’s by no means any less powerful, ringing out richly with a sparkling sensation that simply serves to makeDroid’smighty hooks that much more massive.