Genre : Progressive metal, Experimental metal, Ambient metal
Released : March 26th, 2021
Label : Relapse Records
FFO : Three Trapped Tigers, Last Chance To Reason, The Contortionist
At the time when these guys were last an active band, I was yet to embark upon my journey into heavy music.
As the years went by, little old me eventually became the massive mathcore enthusiast that I am today, yet I was unfamiliar with Genghis Tron's catalogue (sacrilegious stuff, I know, thenoiseblog is a poser confirmed) despite being aware of the practically legendary standing the band holds within the scene.
When "Dream Weapon" was announced I had two choices in front of me : a) Catch up on all their music before the album came out or b) Go into this album blind as a first time listener of the band, a "pure listener" if you will.
And I'm glad I decided to go with option b) since given the reaction of the people who hold the band dear, the band seems to have drastically changed their sound after their 13 year hiatus.
But enough about me, what about the album itself?
Well, I have to say I really love the way the album focuses on the relationship between atmosphere and rhythmicality and I really like the way the drumkit is engineered.
Every single hit comes out clearly and serves a meaningful purpose in driving the floating instrumentation forward.
The guitar and synths intermingle to create this sound that I would describe as a kind of smooth, delicate mist that passes over the listener in steady constant waves, comfortably enveloping him.
Even the vocals themselves act more like an additional layer of synths, merging with this auditive mist instead of standing out from it, even during sections where harsh vocals are being used.
Because yes, the album does include harsh vocals and despite my soothing imagery, it does have a dynamic energy to it.
But instead of being pure aggression, that energy is translated through the steady, consistent, driving pace this album has in spite of its dreaminess.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Dream Weapon", perhaps even more than anticipated even though I had no expectations, and I'm curious to fully understand the place this album occupies in the band's narrative by listening to their back catalogue and see how it holds up then.
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