Ambitious debut poised for innovation
It’s not often that a band can boast to “not so much break genre boundaries, as ignore their existence altogether” and have the music to back it up. While the above statement may be an exaggeration, Duncan Hemingway’s one man project Achenar comes close to its claims. All Will Change, a debut album 4 years in the making, is certainly ambitious. In its quest to create a unique sound, All Will Change will at times completely abandon melody and structure, only to embrace them again minutes later. Cold, mechanical, and at times downright menacing, Achenar lumbers onward towards its own mix of industrial, ambient, noise, electronic, and experimental music.
All Will Change is bursting with diversity, which comes at the cost of coherency. Synthesized assaults of static and noise clash with traditional instrumentation and electronic loops to create a cacophony that’s as eclectic as it is painful to the ears, although there are an increasing number of “soft” compositions as the album progresses. The album dwells in extremes, with almost unbearable segments of heaviness and noise contrasting with serene reflective arrangements. Especially of note is the lack of guitar present, which only goes to show that the traditional distorted guitar is not necessary for “heavy” music.
Although it’s apparent that a lot of effort was put into the album, the truth of the matter is that the lack of consistency and overall lack of melody makes All Will Change uninteresting, even difficult at times, to listen to. Whereas bands like Meshuggah can make up for lack of melody with deep and intricate rhythms, Achenar has little to fall back on. To those not well-acquainted with noise or industrial music, trying to listen to All Will Change in its entirety will seem like a test of willpower. That’s not to say it is a poorly thought out or a poorly written album, but it will definitely be an acquired taste. Given its unique blend of musical styles, All Will Change is sure to be hit or miss, but either way it is certainly an ambitious foray into the depths of modern experimental music.
| Reviewer:Josh Coppola Added: January 11th 2008 |
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