From the Lovecraftian artwork to Eric Plonka’s bellowing vocals and the gargantuan, sludgy riffs of opener The Singularity, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to an early Mastodon record.
And it’s not just sonically where comparisons can be drawn, with Scientist living up to their moniker by sharing the Atlanta band’s desire to morph and mould their sound into exciting new forms.
The nine-minute Siege Capture Control is a moody, meandering beast that bursts into a collision of hulking, angular riffs, while the rumbling bass and frenzied drumming of Baptistina sit underneath a wall of dissonant, evolving textures, But it’s not all thunder and Neurosis’s post-metal malevolence, as the hypnotic melodies of Gravity Well build to soaring leads, Physician Heal Thyself’s hellish screams are augmented by rich, cascading moments of light, and stripped of the ferocious vocals, instrumental Orbital gives room for the music to breathe. Rough and unflinchingly grizzly, but oozing nous and an adventurous spirit, this re-release from last year deserves its chance to be heard by the world at large.
