Artist: The Postman Syndrome
Label: Now or Never Records
Release Date: 9/24/02
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Title: Terraforming Artist: The Postman Syndrome Label: Now or Never Records Release Date: 9/24/02 |
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Abyss's Review:
The promo material that accompanied this record described the band as metalcore, which doesn't really seem to fit, but I guess is as good a label as any. This band mixes a great deal of sounds and styles in their debut, sounding like a mixture of Mr. Bungle and System of a Down. They don't really sound like those bands at all though, it's more a stylistic thing, as they've come up with a very original sound that they can claim as their own.
"...it's been growing on me almost as fast as that troubling green fungus on my scrotum." It took me a few spins to warm up to this one, and I'm still not 100 percent convinced that I'm going to be listening to this one a few months from now, but it's been growing on me almost as fast as that troubling green fungus on my scrotum. My biggest problem with the record is that I just don't like at least one part of every song on the album, but, on the other hand, there is also something of value on every song on the album. Some of the more flighty, alternative (dare I say grunge?) melodies are hit or miss, but when this band hits their stride, they are quite formidable.
While on average I wouldn't call this a very heavy album in comparison to most 'metalcore' out there, when they do hit the low end it can be magical. Case in point is my early favorite track "Unfamiliar Ceiling." While I'm not too keen on the beginning of it, the melody seems a little annoying, it continuously degrades into an uglier, more primal, rhythm that really takes off once the rage sets in. The same melody that annoys me in the beginning twists and contorts into an ending that takes my breath away, and finds me signing along. And while that can be said of many of the tracks on this album, this particular track seems to have the most to offer, and is as close to a complete song as is on this album.
"This is a really good album, no question about it." This is a really good album, no question about it. Those of you who aren't looking for the heaviest shit out there, and can appreciate the eccentricities and style should pick this one up posthaste. I will hold off complete reverence at this time, however, as I look forward to see how this band evolves their seemingly unlimited potential. I have a feeling I will either love or hate their next record. One word review: Great.
Death's Review:
The Now or Never Records website refers to Terraforming as a "genre-bending audio assault on the senses," and that is a fairly accurate description, despite the fact that it is, of course, a bit vague. Let me try to elaborate. The Postman Syndrome sound like a combination of Tool, Faith No More, Dillinger Escape Plan, Opeth and Diecast.
"In fact, this is the type of material that intelligent people will want to like upon the first listen." Now, many of the songs are quite mellow, and thus the Tool influence is most prominent a large amount of the time. Still, when the band busts out into the Jersey metalcore thing, they do it with enough aggression to label this album something truly unique. Solomon seemed to really enjoy the band's performance opening up for Brand New Sin earlier this year, although I betcha it was as much about the "young cutie doing some sort of Indian/Middle Eastern dance routine that, as far as [he] could tell, had nothing to do with anything the band was doing" as it was the music. Just kidding. Frankly, The Postman Syndrome do a good job of playing adventurous music in the context of two styles which haven't really been merged in this way before. They deserve credit for being different and for displaying integrity in their music. In fact, this is the type of material that intelligent people will want to like upon the first listen.
Still, I'm not completely feeling it. The songwriting is good, not great. I'm kinda done with the metalcore thing, and the mellow parts are very mellow, sometimes losing me in their vastness. It's tough to criticize something this "arty" within the extreme music realm, but at the end of the day the songs don't stick with me, and it sometimes seems like more of a chore to listen to this album than it does a fun and pleasant experience. Maybe my head is just in a different place right now. Hopefully The Postman Syndrome will grow into a serious force to be reckoned with. For now they are OK to pretty good, with some good ideas and a good sound, but some boring songs.
"Still, I'm not completely feeling it. The songwriting is good, not great." Perhaps an extension of the Tool analogy can help to describe my lack of complete enthusiasm. This singer often sounds like Maynard, but after a while, because of the boring nature of some of the mellow parts, I'm thinking more about A Perfect Circle than about Tool.
Hel's Review:
Favorite track(s): "Schizorabbit and the Face Parade"
"Many may posit that this band is not at all metal." One thing is abundantly clear when you sit down to listen to The Postman Syndrome: you've never heard anything like this before. You've probably heard many of the two hundred or so bands who seem to have influenced them, and from which their songs have been indirectly derived, but it is probably not a bad guess to assume that none of those bands ever dreamed they would one day influence someone to make a record combining all these disparate sounds.
Paramount to the essence of The Postman Syndrome is idiosyncrasy. Songs may start out sounding like something your mother, or even your grandmother, may enjoy, but somewhere inside will invariably evolve to something angry and quite metal. Many may posit that this band is not at all metal. I will disagree - in their souls they are as angry as any metalhead, but the have chosen to cloak that anger within beautiful melodies and other such idiosyncratic garb. The clear message is one of coherent confusion - they are both metal, and distinctly un-metal - fused together in a project that would make Mike Patton proud.
"I felt like Alice going down the rabbit hole - it's a strange place down there, but a whole lot of fun." We, the listeners, cannot pick and choose the parts we like - this is an all or nothing proposition. Either you embrace it for what it is, even the parts you would never enjoy otherwise (for me, these are the distinctly Tool-like moments), for this release is a complete work, and only by listening to every single moment, and embracing them all, can you even hope to enjoy and understand it.
You must also realize, their goal is to leave you baffle and confused in the wake of their on and off again assault. With song titles like, "Amputees Make Bad Swimmers" and "Schizorabbit and the Face Parade," and the mere fact that in four different instances single song titles encompass two separate tracks, you must understand the band's ultimate goal is to baffle and bemuse.
I just moved across the country, so my mindset for the last few months has been one of tossing all caution to the wind and embracing the moment for what it is to see where the day takes me. I extended this philosophy to embrace Terraforming, and you know what? I felt like Alice going down the rabbit hole - it's a strange place down there, but a whole lot of fun. I think I may visit again one day. Now, the only question is: Do I take the pink pill or the blue one?
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