Genre : Mathcore, Progressive metal
Release date : September 27, 2019
Label : Holy Roar Records
FFO : Meshuggah, Ion Dissonance, The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza
I was honestly surprised when Car Bomb released new material not so long after the release of "Meta" during the latter half of 2016, and pleasantly so given how explosive (pun intended) and "out there" the first single off of "Mordial", "Dissect Yourself" was.
"Meta" had displayed the band at its highest peak yet with its mind-boggling yet catchy grooves, incorporation of melodic elements within the constant chaos and absolutely crisp production.
It may have seemed unlikely that Car Bomb would be able to top their latest work and yet, here they were proving us wrong with "Dissect Yourself" by further experimenting and pushing the enveloppe of their soundscape (Kubacki's bouts of "laser gun" guitar within this song having immediately reached an iconic, trademark status), while still being able to incorporate a certain sense of twisted melody within this sonic insanity.
"Melody" is in fact the main word/idea that comes to mind within this new album.
Indeed, it would seem that Car Bomb decided to focus and give more space to the melodic, softer sections they incorporate in their songwriting, which "Gratitude" foreshadowed on the previous record.
To a certain extent, the artwork of both "Meta" and "Mordial" reflect the direction the band took with their sound : "Meta", while being seemingly chaotic is very meticulously precise and geometric with a focus on rythmicality, whilst "Mordial" focuses more on experimenting and expanding on the band's soundscape but still maintaining the geometrical rythmicality that lies at the foundation of the band's signature sound.
"Fade Out" at the very beginning of the album is a great example of this : it has a catchy, perhaps even "poppy" chorus which contrasts with the ever-changing, neck-shattering rythmical patterns. And that is something that can be found pretty much throughout the whole record, especially within the eerily, hypnotic recurring melody of "Scattered Sprites".
On the downside however, I personally feel that the uniqueness of the tracks of the first half of the album kind of drown out the tracks from the latter half of the album, making them seem less "interesting" than they actually are which is quite unfortunate.
Which in turn, I feel, makes the overall album less memorable than its predecessor where every single song stood out for its own reasons ("Naked Fuse" musically doesn't really feel like an album closer compared to "Infinite Sun" which closed off "Meta" with a bang, even though its lyrics close off the album thematically).
I wish Car Bomb would have explored the kind of over-the-top crazy experimentation that can be found on "Dissect Yourself" more throughout the album, as the track kind of stands out from the rest of the album as "that one crazy pewpew track" which makes it feel a bit awkward within the context of the album's flow.
I'm also not really sure what to think of the multiple throwbacks to previous songs or "easter eggs" that can be found on the album (the throwback to "Secrets Within" that can be found in "Blackened Battery" around the 1.26 minute mark for instance).
However, the focus on melody in this album also comes with an added lyrical depth as well as more introspective and melancholic lyrical themes which to me was a very welcome and interesting surprise coming from Car Bomb.
Indeed, despite all the energy and chaos, Mordial has a very moody, at times depressing underlying atmosphere (the lyrics to "Fade Out" for instance are very emotional).
Despite the flaws I find within this album, "Mordial" is still definitely one of the most interesting and creative albums to come out in heavy music this year and Car Bomb's musicianship is equal to none, reaching a standard that other extreme bands can only aspire to reach for.
I am also extremely glad to see that "Mordial" has given the band further exposition and that they are finally beginning to get the recognition they deserve and I can't wait to see what other tricks these mad scientists have in store for us in the future!
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