Damage Theory

Imagine if Scorngrain didn't totally suck eggs, and something akin to Illidiance should begin to take mental form. I suppose it is worth nothing that this project evolved from a black metal band, which is honestly easy to forget as there is virtually no trace of that sound evident here anymore. The catch-all descriptor of industrial/electronic is so easy to throw around informally, but there are different sonic templates being employed by many of these acts. Illidiance clearly emphasizes the electronic side of proceedings, featuring dystopian, gabber-influenced programming laid atop already existing synths, all intermingled within a rather prototypical death/groove framework. Damage Theory is a relatively busy record, attacking the listener from multiple angles at once and never truly taking much of a breather. Eccentricities of such a garish nature typically envisage burnout, but Illidiance surprisingly shake things up just enough to mitigate stagnation and feature some interesting atypicalities that warrant something closer than a cursory look.

The digital, chrome allure of the streamlined production values and programmed electronics remind me quite a bit of Dimension F3H, and it helps that Illidiance also have the presence of mind to interchange vocalists repeatedly. The cleans far outstrip the grunting here, as Shkurin has an honest and emotive set of pipes on him! And it isn't as if the cleans are hoarded for the choruses, there is constant interplay between both singers especially evident on the skyrocketing "New Millennium Crushers," which is granite-solid in its melodic appeal and ability to juggle disparate constituents in an affable manner. The skeletal melodic death mount that is built upon is relatively standard stuff, but hey it isn't the main appeal anyway. That said there are some true organ grinding death metal groovers like "Cybernesis," which carry the weight while the keyboards are off in their own little world doing whatever they damn well please.

And yeah, there are a lot of brash and spastic effects going on in Damage Theory, which I can certainly see turning many a listener away. As a personal and honestly accurate rule of thumb I judge the electronica elements in these bands against the same standard. Does it or does it not remind me of the soundtrack to Unreal Tournament? In Damage Theory's case, why yes it fucking does, and the rave-tuned electronics are what congeals this band's sound into something just falling short of greatness. The deficiencies to blame are obviously centered around the riffs, but that isn't to say there isn't fluid control between both extremes. Great exercises in this dichotomy include the already-mentioned "New Millennium Crushers, "Infected" and "Critical Damage."

Even the slower pseudo-ballads like "I Want to Believe" and "Fading Away" are saved by the commendable clean vocal chops. The latter is a slightly more morose exception to the high-energy norm here, and serves as a logical and well-deserved intermission in the mayhem. This is such a consistent record, I find it hard to single any individual duff tracks; all are plausible and unanimous in their ability to integrate both extremes effectively. One minute the band is rattling off death metal at a machine-gun pace, the next the vocals take hold and deliver Soilwork-level refrains. Imagine Silent Descent without the core element and that comes pretty close to what Damage Theory ultimately delivers.

I really expected this album to trail off near the end, but "Mind Hunters" glows like a million watts and serves as one of the better isolated moments on the B-side. A near spotless procession coupled with such a great formula to begin with makes Damage Theory an act worth investigating if one is a fan of later ...and Oceans, The Kovenant and Dimension F3H. There is always room for improvement, as the metal element can use something of an overhaul, but this is some great stuff and a new favorite of mine. Great band!