The Bizarre Machinery of Universe

Here’s a band you may not have heard of, and that in itself is a pity. While Fractal Point are not doing anything spectacular, they deserve much more recognition than what they currently have. The death metal they produce here is slightly different than normal, but not enough to have them really stand out, yet enough to at least garner some sort of following.

Some of the guitar riffs scattered throughout this album are quite good. The beginning of “Saturnian” is very catchy, and definitely sets the mood for the rest of the song (which is one of the better ones on offer here). The riffs themselves are not awe-inspiring, but they’re good enough to keep you interested from song to song. They even throw in an acoustic guitar instrumental here for good measure. The soloing is very impressive, and borders on melodic most of the time. They are definitely one of the highlights of the album (for example, the brilliant soloing on “Chaos Unification”). The drumming is quite repetitive, especially once you know his style. I was actually a little disappointed in the drumming, to be honest. I would’ve liked to see him expand a little more and play some interesting fills and beats, instead of sticking to the fast thrashy beat that he does on basically every song. Having said that, he is tight and is generally well-suited for the album.

Now, there are a few things that bring this album down a peg or two. I have mentioned the drumming, so that is one. Two: The vocals. Now, usually, deep growls like Antoine’s are not a problem, and in fact, I think he is a good vocalist. The problem is that the lyrical themes here are so unique, it would be nice to be able to hear what he is saying a little better. Just looking at the song titles (and even the album title and band name!) are a perfect indication of what they are talking about. Space, the Universe, those sorts of things. Here is a snippet of lyrics from the song “Chaos Unification”:

"Insane confusion inside the cosmos
Dynamics of the chaos
The emptiness of nothingness
And the truth behind the pulsing wall

Forces move with fury
In foreign energy displacements
The animation of incompatible forms
Generate the exquisite functioning of Halos Objects"

I mean, I have never seen any other band have lyrics like this, especially for death metal. So it’s really a shame the lyrics can’t be understood more.

Three: The track “Cosmic Fields.” It is an instrumental acoustic track. It’s not bad, but you can hear the piercing sound of Guilherme running his fingers up and down the neck of the guitar, which proves that it really is an acoustic guitar. I can appreciate that, but the noise it makes when he is furiously moving up and down the neck has almost ruined a perfectly good song. If you can get past that, however, it really is a good track.

Acknowledging these negatives, it really is a good album. The soloing is great, and the songs here have enough of their own style to set it apart. The lyrical themes are where it’s at, though, and if you can find this album anywhere (and I mean anywhere), pick it up. It is rarer than a three-headed monkey. The band, unfortunately, have life commitments that is putting any future writing in jeopardy. I would love to see them continue, but for now, this is all we can get from this good Swiss band. Nothing overtly spectacular, but it is well worth your time.

Best tracks: Saturnian, Material Substance (the bass guitar and the guitar riff at 3:29 mark the best part of the album), The Dimensional Experiment