Winding the Optics

"Winding The Optics" is the name of the first full length album by those geeks from Bengaluru, India and is more than a logical evolution and progression to their EP, "The Sculptor of Negative Emotions". One gaze at the the song names and the nerdiness is pervasive. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Because, in a simple way, to quantify this band, would be to say that they are some parts Meshuggah, some parts Thrash, some parts Groove and a lot of weirdness. There are a lot of sub standard Djent and fake melodic death metal bands, that this blows into the middle of last decade.

The opening track itself, "The Axioms of Aphotic Expressions", is my favourite and is an ample representation of all that makes this band so awesome. Kickass drumming (a lot of double bass ala Tomas Haake and drum fills), odd time rhythms, eerie vocals and a guitar tone that is so reminiscent of Robb Flynn and Kerry King at the same time. Growling vocals have depth and so does the guitar playing. On tracks like "Anonymous Existence", which stretches for a better part of 10 minutes, the bass playing is killer, the solo passages on the keyboard with guitar interludes and the crazy drum fills, is really a testament to how mature this band is in its outlook and musicianship.

The production values speak for itself, because there are very few metal albums in such a style with such clarity and balance. There is never a moment where, you would think, that one instrument for any apparent reason, overpowers the other et al. The artwork is great and really catches your eye. Makes the album worth having. And with all that great music, I think it isn't an option, not having this. A must buy. Now.