Null

Often in the evaluation of a fairly unique and young band, the reviewer must either take such singular albums on their own terms or hurl a series of usually meaningless references to other, more established bands. With their first offering, "Null", Weird Alliance presented such a case. I could be general and say that this work, in its contrast of raw heaviness and psychedelic atmosphere, this album resembles the early material of the now defunct masters of Australian prog-death metal, Alchemist. I could also say that their churning, almost groove-like rhythms and dark ambient interludes bring Belgium's Emptiness to mind, but this too would be just another lame attempt to try and anchor my ears to existing sounds that are already well familiar to me and other listeners. So, as a band with a fairly original sound, Weird Alliance must be taken on their own terms if an honest review matters at all.

Since " Null" adheres to a very particular style throughout with very few deviations, I will mention what I have found to be the two best tracks. The first full song, " A Week in Silence", is actually one of the most catchy and up-tempo, while also clearly establishing the ominous and oppressive sense of space as the band's true strength. They accomplish this atmosphere by long strokes of effect-laden lead motifs and also by strategic breaks in the song where the gruff vocals soften to suspenseful spoken-word passages. All considered, this song is an excellent compromise between a demonstration of the band's unique brand of darkly atmospheric metal while also being fairly accessible to a first-time listener.

"Some of Us are Dead", however, offers a more complex example of the band's suspenseful sense of composition, with highly effective alternations between vast, strangely ethereal passages and the murkier and heavier moments. I think this track is one of the album's highlights, because it features both slightly exotic and serpentine rhythms which open into a haunting and melancholy chorus.

Of course, a shallow listener will point out that the drum machine isn't the finest or most expertly programmed, and perhaps listeners whose ears have been sterilized by mainstream audio standards will find the recording to be muddy. But for what a uniquely obscure and mysterious sound Weird Alliance forged on this release, I find these qualities to only add to the novelty of "Null". While not a completely defined musical statement, Weird Alliance integrated elements of death metal, progressive metal, psychedelic metal and even touches of goth rock to suggest a fairly unique brand of darkly atmospheric and aggressive music.

PS: As the archives state, Weird Alliance became Scenariology, a project which pretty much continues the same experiments in style. I encourage anyone reading to check out a few of their tracks.