Perhaps as a means of whetting the collective appetite in anticipation of the release of a new album (their last one, “All Blood Is Red”, dropped way back when in 2009 after all) London based three-piece Tribazik are back with their new remix EP “Spacetime Collapse”, released on the Skyride imprint. Having already established themselves as a band on the up – they’ve been featured in the pages of the likes of Kerrang and Terrorizer, and scored an impressive support slot for the mighty Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman also guested on “All Blood Is Red”) – Tribazik are seeking to keep their stock on the rise with this release, which itself features contributions from some noted and respected musicians from the world of electronica, such as IDM royalty Venetian Snares.
Tribazik’s music is, essentially, a highly personalised slant on the industrial ethos of marrying elements of rock and electronic music, in this instance, an amalgamation of breakbeats, acid-house synth, hypnotic bass lines and thrashing guitar that builds into a truly thundering (and very memorable) chorus that, along with Jerry Kandiah’s Coleman-esque vocals, recall Killing Joke at their more recent, visceral best. The band utilise a unique instrumental set up which includes both the incorporation of a Roland TD-5K electronic drum kit into a standard acoustic one and the use of a guitar-to-MIDI converter which allows Tribazik to play all synth sounds and samples live and really give the song a sense of muscle and menace, and drummer Hedge Seel more than deserves a shout out for the intricacy and complexity of his playing which, for this reviewer, is definitely the tracks most intriguing feature.
The three remaining remixes are all wildly different in their approaches. Anyone with a passing familiarity with the legendary Canadian noisemaker that is Venetian Snares will know what to expect from his typically abrasive offering – all jarring breakbeats and acid squelches that hurtle the song into new and head-rattling realms. Chris Liberator and Sterling Moss’ acid house remix is of a more traditional if slightly formulaic nature, whereas Ghosts’ highly percussive remix rounds things off with equal measures of pulsating bass and elegant piano.
Though the remixes are certainly worth a listen, this release is all about Tribazik and what could, hopefully, be a sign of things to come. Rather than draw inspiration from their influences and then recycle it into something old-hat, Tribazik takes these influences and creates something daring, exciting and just plain different from the majority of metal that’s out there. And when you factor in the blistering live reputation that this band is forming, there’s a very high chance you’ll be hearing a lot more from them in the coming months. That stock just keeps on rising. 7/10
Andy McCabe
http://www.withguitars.com/tribazik-spacetime-collapse-remix-ep/
