Now I know thats a bit of an overreaching statement, and one that will receive some dismissal as mere opinion, but if you're a math metal fan you'd find it hard to deny. I first got into math metal when I heard 43% Burnt by the Dillinger Escape Plan. It blew my head off, I had never heard such a mind bending blast of technicality before and I'll be honest, I didn't get it to start off with. It seemed to be a literally representation of noise for noise sake. But a close friend of mine got me into DEP with their Miss Machine album, and I've not looked back, and I thank her sincerely for that! DEP had pretty much defined mathcore with Calculating Infinity, their 1999 album, and at the same time took it to its most extreme conclusion. Miss Machine was a more sideways move than progression, incorporating more melody and singalong ability without losing any of their roots and skill. But of course DEP are not the only purveyors of such mind altering metal. Meshuggah are the kings of odd time signatures, polyrhythmic riffs and head caving groove. Behold...the Arctopus, a personal favourite, are the instrumental equivalent, again a wonderful cocktail of technicality and brutality. Other bands like Psyopus, British underground heroes Sikth, Daughters, Fear Before the March of Flames, Norma Jean and of course, the bands that laid the foundations for such a discordant, spazzed out genre, Botch and Converge, have managed to keep this genre flourishing which is always so surprising considering its obtuse style and severe lack of mainstream ideas. Well, except for the infectious choruses of some DEP songs from their latest, Ire Works. So if you're a metalhead who finds even some of the more technical thrash, death or black metal just not quite enough, or if you're just looking for something a bit mental, keep an eye out for mathcore.
Essential Releases:
Botch - American Nervoso - buy here
Dillinger Escape Plan - Calculating Infinity - buy here
Psyopus - Our Puzzling Encounters Considered - buy here
Behold..the Arctopus - Skullgrid - buy here
Daughters - Hell Songs - buy here
Meshuggah - Catch 33 - buy here
Sikth - Death of a Dead Day - buy here
Dillinger Escape Plan - myspace page
Psyopus - official website
Sikth - offical website
Behold...the Arctopus - myspace profile
Daughters - myspace profile
Botch - myspace profile
Mesuggah - offical website
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