The infinite expanse known as space captured the imagination of countless minds and those of the artistic kind interpreted it as they saw most fitting. Science fiction was one of the biggest things to emerge from this ongoing pool of inspiration and what I love about it, despite how it may seem these days, are all the possible avenues one can take whilst creating it.
Foundation Series, Dune, Cthulhu Mythos, Star Trek, 40K, WALL-E, Star Wars, all these universes operate in a unique way with equally distinctive sets of rules. Furthermore, and the main kicker, the concepts. Where WALL-E portrays an increasingly easily achievable future where Earth is a barren wasteland with robots ordering garbage and humanity wandering through space in ships where they're fed with pills and have reached a level of obesity where bones are placeholders for heaps of flesh, Warhammer 40K is dominated by constant war with unimaginably powerful forces colliding with one another.
Star Trek is the outlier as it sees the potential of humans and accentuates the possibility of us transcending our greed, selfishness and bloated self-esteem and just explore the universe as scouts with peace sown into the cloth of our flags.
A quaint thought so let's talk sci fi death metal hahaha. Logically, due to the obvious abrasiveness from which death metal continues to spawn from, bands in this niche usually opt for a less optimistic approach. Not as ridiculous (mean that in a good way) as Warhammer 40K but en route to that darkness. Vektor, Nocturnus AD, Wormed, Blood Incantation... Artificial Brain... Artificial Brain!
That's right, this elaborate intro was a means to an end. The end of humanity and rise of cyborgs. Confused? Keep your nerd glasses on and join me in honoring the fifth anniversary of the band's sophomore Infrared Horizon. This bad boy was my introduction to them and remains my favorite. That is until their upcoming self-titled drops as that's the band's way, one defined by excellence.
On top of all that, Infrared Horizon also helped getting over my last hurdle in metal - brutal death metal vocals. Granted, I'm still lukewarm on most of the scene but now I can appreciate and understand it far easier.
So what makes the album special? The first and most obvious clue to the solution is the band itself so let's discuss (read what I carefully placed in front of you, ready for consumption) and try wrapping our heads around their heads. You could say we'll be getting... estranged from their orbits... a? A? Yeah that was bad, anyhow, these five NY-based gentlemen are a crucial player in the new "disso wave" movement which defined modern death metal. What I absolutely love about it too is how this supposed dissonance is tackled and would you know it, a few of NY-based bands stand out from this volatile mass. Noticing a similarity here? It's almost as if metal fans are huge nerds... which they totally are.
Take how well-read Pyrrhon load up and unleash shards of rusted metal upon you like a hiccuping machine gun and compare that to someone like Plebeian Grandstand which use dissonance as a means to completely remove your footing and toss you headfirst into a metallic abyss. And Artificial Brain? They're all about that sadboi life yo.
I pretentiously call it jagged melancholy.
The excellently punned "Estranged From Orbit" is among the very best examples of this in their discography.
After getting thrown around for three rounds with occasional respite in them (been watching a lot of UFC lately), "Estranged Orbit" starts off... sadly. The main guitar riff moves gracefully yet with its head hung low.
Still, it pierces through the wire-ridden mud and emerges on top, screaming, cementing its presence. Not long after a few beautiful twists, Will Smith gloriously burps himself into existence on the third beat I believe and the song unravels. A slight change in the narrative so to speak. This narrative is something I only recently realized and it's how Smith complements the music in every way. Delivery-wise he keeps it brutal with unintelligible words exiting his beautiful larynx. And this sea of gurgles, shrieks, growls and screams invite you to dive deeper. If you do, you'll notice how wonderfully his lyricism paints this decrepit, cold and infinite expanse (it's space) without decreasing intensity. Ever. And then you realize the techniques he uses and how they match with the pace and tone of the lyrics. A lot is used by the way which made my eventual transition into bands like Afterbirth (for whom he still sings), Defeated Sanity, Disentomb and the rest that easier.
If this type of sensation is present, I see that as a clear sign of a vocalist being completely invested with the music. It's not just singing, it's becoming a vessel which ultimately makes his departure that more sad.
But what is actually happening here? Well from what I gathered, it picks up where "Moon Funeral" has left which are numerous systems no longer populated by humans. However, the technology they left still works which includes cyborgs, androids and the like which one day awaken. Some even gain consciousness and this is immediately made known with the now iconic opener "Floating Delirium".
Sporting one of my all time favorite riffs and being one of the best openers of all time, "Floating In Delirium" sets everything up, instrumentally and lyrically. As this rager approaches its zenith Smith gurgles:
"Now I can see through a new eye. I can learn from a new mind.
I'm imbued and renewed by (void).
As I gasp in digital, I witness the reflecting pool
Penetrating the surface, I conjoin both sides
I have overlapped lives..."
There's an "I" here but it's digital. Is synthesized existence enough to be considered a valid life form? What does valid even mean in this context? Many asked themselves the same, most notably Asimov and there isn't an easy answer. Maybe the absence of our species makes this puzzle easier? Ultimately, it's up to you but Smith leaves plenty more crumb trails to follow. On "Graveyard Of Lightless Planets" he says the following:
"Building unpaved mindscapes, overgrown, obtuse, out of time
Neglected, abandoned, awkward invention without a spine
Not created at all, evolved through design."
And then he drops a bomb:
“What makes an invention if the invention was destined to be made?”
In the words of my friend: "SHEEESH!" Hear hear bro but wait... we haven't even mentioned the rest of this amazing package. Let's get the production talk out of the way first as there's practically nothing bad to say. It's an achievement to have something this dense sounding so loose and free. Each guitar squirm, bass thump and crash smack break through but never to a detriment of the others. This is what I want from more bands and as it turns out, Colin Marston seems to be that secret sauce. However, I believe the band had full control in what they wanted to sound like and Marston just did his magic and made it all happen. Spectacular stuff but let's not overlook how Labyrinth Constellation set the groundworks and in what manner. The main difference between them interestingly are the vocals placement. On Infrared Horizon the gang decided to put Smith more in front of the mix which turned out to be a great call as it's a far "busier" record word count wise plus he can show off more of his techniques.
Curiously and what I just found about is how Smith is in fact not the only vocalist here. Now maybe I'm just a tool which... I can't really deny BUT I assumed Smith did everything as each vocal line sounds like it comes from the same place, that includes guests. You learn something new each day!
Anyways, regarding the instrumentation, I could go on for days but lucky for you my English isn't as good nor... checks word count do I know guitar theory but allow me to gush like a franboy that I am regardless!
So, I mentioned the jAgGed MeLaNCholy but I didn't point out the very noticeable black metal influence. No matter how mind-bending it gets via crazy staccato riffs, ominous chord or jazz licks, there's this slab of vicious blackness right behind all of it and ready to pounce.
Hear how the track attacks you with these dissonant plucks. Yeees, they stick out like a sore thumb in the best way possible while the bass mercilessly shakes that which hasn't been annihilated yet. The drums? Well they possess this Gorguts-like jumpiness but not for long as we're greeted by higher pitched tremolos before we enter the blast (beat) zone. From there on, the song continues shifting but certain motions are repeated and because they're catchy, they stick.
This is another talent of this band and it seems they're getting better which each release. Someone called this as a more "progressive" album out of the two and I'm inclined to agree because even with these repetitions, you never get complete respite. You'll always be on your toes yet clearly led by the band through and you'll endure whatever they throw at you. Chances are, you'll like it.
Even if there's a lengthier outro like with the album's centrepiece the title track, that experience won't be pleasant. Instead of a potentially soothing synth-drenched hum or just fade to black, you're greeted with maddening whispers. Or are they sounds of solar storms? Or an abandoned space factory shaking beneath the astral winds? Whatever it is, it's not good... until it is!
You see for something as intense and powerful as this, I find it funny how quickly I adjusted and found myself immersed. That outro is a form of respite now and I love that shift in perspective. Matches tonally too. Imagine seeing an abandoned outpost filled with decommissioned cyborgs. The corridors are deathly calm and there are rust patches forming everywhere. Those cyborgs I mentioned, you get a feeling they see you:
"Eyes like piss-holes in the snow (infrared horizon)
Only difference is they glow (infrared horizon)."
The atmosphere, the musicianship, the tones, the narrative, everything about these guys screams excellence. The intent, the vision, the confidence, the ambition, all the the's and nouns and I still can't quite come close to portraying what astral highs I'm treated to. Five years ago my love for death metal seemed indestructible but after getting rocked by multiple waves of similarly sounding drivel in the meantime, I became picky.
One thing remained constant, I could always count on Artificial Brain and Infrared Horizon to remind me how the genre sounds at its very peak. Cannot wait for the end of this trilogy and how exactly this era of the band will sound like. More on that when the hour arrives so until then, prepare accordingly and see you on the other side.
Infrared Horizon was released via Profound Lore Records on April 21st of 2017.
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