Neon Rebels

Cyber metal is something that no doubt takes some getting used to. Having listened to some melodeath with futuristic sounding keyboards and enjoyed that somewhat, I thought that maybe giving this band a go would be a good idea. So here we are, Illidiance's single Neon Rebels, which was praised highly by Diamhea (whose musical taste I tend to agree with more often than not).

To be honest I had a bad feeling listening to the intro. Here in Scotland techno is where it's at in terms of popular music, and I've heard one too many songs that open like... and not a single one has impressed me. Fortunately it doesn't last too long before the guitars and drums join in on the action, although the DJ keeps up with his stuff as well. It's surprisingly likable for what it is, considering that generally when you think of bands with a DJ and guitarists the bands Limp Bizkit and Slipknot are among the first to come to mind. Thankfully this band doesn't follow a style anywhere near that of those two bands.

The guitar riffs are fairly bland, nothing too special, probably because the fancy work is left to the DJ. It's more than just mindless chugging, but they don't offer too much variety for the listener either. They do fit well with the drums though, and a lot of their work seems coordinated to be in time with each other. The drums are slightly more interesting, playing a healthy variety of different things during the course of the song, at points heavily reliant on blast beats but at others more of a more generic style that's reliant on pounding the snare. Unfortunately a lot of the drummer's work is somewhat buried under the keyboard and guitar, but at least it is still somewhat noticeable.

The vocals are mostly clean (there are a few sort of growly bits in there, but they're not full-blown death metal vocals), and I must admit that they're also quite good. Not too clean and floaty but with some grit in them during the verses (which are the heavier parts of the song) and slightly higher and cleaner during the choruses to fit in with the music, which tends to take a more melodic style at that point. They're not as good as the ones used by Tommy Tuovinen of MyGrain, but I can't really see his voice working with this band in the same way that Tommy Syrex's do.

Overall this is quite a nice introduction to the world of cyber metal, and it might have persuaded me to come back and visit again at some point. I'm going to say that this one song hasn't changed my perspective of the universe or anything, but it was a nice change and all in all a good song that's worth listening to.

I don't appraise singles often, but I really have to make an exception here. Illidiance began as a black metal band and exhausted what few reserves of that style remained on the first record after the name change. Nexaeon was a pummeling, synthetically-charged foray into the typically murky depths of symphonic black metal intertwined within an endearingly metallic core. The more commonly cited trinkets of terror remained intact, and the subsequent shift into more sprightly fare on Damage Theory was a marked step in the right direction and logical continuance of the electronic masturbation that slides so easily next to spastic groove metal. The former is lurid and the latter brash, so both work in tandem spectacularly.

Anyway, after Damage Theory, Illidiance rattled off a few singles along with the EP Deformity. Neon Rebels is the first of these, and if the band can muster themselves to deliver a full-length on par with this material, it would be the a true juggernaut of unseen proportions in this niche field. Great programmed symphonics open the floodgates, composed of exaggerated, flanged leads and distorted blitzing. Just like the last record, this falls pretty close to Dimension F3H's second record Does the Pain Excite You? at first, but then at just over a minute, who is that on the refrain? Why yes, the one and only Christian Älvestam! Just kidding, it is actually Syrex, but it had me fooled the first time I listened to it. But then something clicked within the old cerebrum. This is what Scar Symmetry should have been, not the pretentious employment of mismanaged groove slush that was Holographic Universe. Illidiance keeps proceedings sufficiently hot and piping by shooting from the hip a mishmash of quivering, concrete grit that I suppose could be considered riffs. Combine this with straightforward song structure that suits Tommy's brilliant chops the best and it is quite simply a beautiful thing to witness.

I always have trouble knowing how to end these short ones... Well if you are familiar with any of the bands already mentioned and prefer the particular epithet of keyboards that accentuate that tried and true Venusian atmosphere as opposed to straight up cinematic dirges, Illidiance already have your number, Neon Rebels just happens to be one of their best songs and teases of something potentially groundbreaking in the future. Here's to hoping that comes to fruition.