New Discolour

Short Of Ink

Written by: AP on 25/11/2010 17:09:27

New Discolour is the rejuvenation of Kolding based metalcore band She is Malignant. Having undergone a thorough makeover in the sound department, the band decided to re-launch with their scope adjusted for international exposure. New Discolour is also a pair of words that forms the fundamental basis for the band's updated sound - a dark, distorted and modern take on the genre. In contrast to most other Danish bands that sound different for the worse, the soundscape of New Discolour is a potent concoction of successful production, deceptively simple songwriting and niche-carving technical prowess.

New Discolour have taken the brooding intesity of their debut EP, "Silent Scream", and re-imagined it with influences from both Deftones and Meshuggah with one thing in mind: to reduce the melodious signature sound of metalcore to a pile of low-grooving, brutally heavy rubble. This is an assertion made early with the malignant intro piece slash title track "Short of Ink", and one that persists across much of the album, culminating in the irresistibly hypnotic drone of "Chinese Vancouver". But rather than descending into a monotonous chugfest as the emphasis on low and heavy might imply, "Short of Ink" contains equal parts dynamics and distressing, lo-fi melodies, too - and the brilliance is in the band's ability to restrain themselves and always preserve the sense of urgency and ill will that defines their sound. Take songs like "Black Face" and "A Thank You Note to Cole M.", for example. Both are charged with lingering melody, but the pace remains acute, and the air of sinister intent never loosens its grip on the listener.

But perhaps most impressive about "Short of Ink", is that rather than observing the mixing process from the sidelines, New Discolour made it abundantly clear that the trademark Danish, cavernous production was not an option, and instead, drummer Lasse Mikkelsen and guitarist Søren Thomsen scrutinised CB Studios with relentless abandon to achieve arguably the best production mix ever to have come out of a Danish studio. Just as impressive is the fact that after months of intensive brainstorm, I have yet to home in on another band that sounds like New Discolour does on this album. There are nuances of Norma Jean in parts and elements derived from contemporary thrash in others, but the powers that reign over "Short of Ink" - Artem Kushnirenko's hardcore borderline extreme metal vocals, the tech metal, thrash and noise inspired riffs and the pervasive, mathematic rhythms - converge at a sound point not too distant from Architects, yet far enough to earn the coveted niche band title.

Now, before you riddle me with accusations of favoritism (yes, Artem is a good friend of mine), know this: there has been no person close to the band more critical in the early phases of recording this album than me. Nonetheless, what has been sent to me in final form leaves no room for such criticisms, because "Short of Ink" is one of the finest Danish metal albums to have emerged in recent years. Sometimes brutal, sometimes catchy, it draws inspiration from all corners of the genre to design something unheard of in the Danish scene: pure-bred, inventive metalcore with a twist of extremity.

8

Download: Black Face, Chinese Vancouver, Regain Astray, Yes, Yes, No
For the fans of: Architects, The Bled, The Eyes of a Traitor, Johnny Truant, Norma Jean
Listen: Myspace

Release date. 01.08.2011
Mighty Music

Related Items | How we score?
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

Legal

© Copyright MMXXIV Rockfreaks.net.