Search - Frantic Bleep :: Sense Apparatus

Want to get into avantgarde metal? Here's the gateway.

Al LaPrade | Worcester, MA United States | 01/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a fan or metal or even guitar-centric rock and have exhausted all the back catalogs of your favorite bands you might think to start exploring some of the fringe genres in your search for new music to listen to.



May I suggest giving Frantic Bleep a listen with their album, "The Sense Apparatus."



Sure, you have your Arcturuses, your Borknagars, your Sighs. These are all great bands. But sometimes bands like these can be a bit difficult to get into. Yeah, they're pretty unique. But they aren't very... well... approachable. Arcturus is crazy. Borknagar suffers from Wall of Sound and (intentionally?) muddy engineering. Sigh switches genres from death metal to heavy metal to reggae within the same song! It's a lot to take in all at once.



So this is why I suggest The Sense Apparatus. It's a weird album. The lyrics are more concerned with atmosphere and creating images in your mind than they with telling a coherent story.



And it does have a great atmosphere going for it The music is technically very accomplished... there's a lot going on and it definitely benefits from being played over a good set of headphones. The production is perfect... you can hear every instrument and effect clearly. But this doesn't mean it isn't catchy. Every song sounds unique, but they all definitely belong on one album. So this means that while you will appreciate it most on a pair of headphones, you can play it in your car and it will keep you awake.



Let's face it, a lot of the fringe genres of metal can blend together. I have trouble telling one black metal group from another for instance. I also get the feeling a lot of times that these bands try so hard to create something unique that only the most dedicated fans can appreciate their output. But Frantic Bleep are not afraid to keep their songs around the 5 minute mark. They don't feel the need to switch the tempo back and forth, nor to go from heavy and intense to quiet and peaceful over and over to prove to you how accomplished they are. They don't insert massive instrumental sections to impress you with their instrument mastery.



You've got a wide variety of styles here, but they all gel. Vocals are either harmonious and chanty ("A Survey," "...But A Memory," "Cone") croony ("The Expulsion," "Curtainraiser") or raspy like your typical death metal screech ("Mandaughter"). The vocalist has a nice range and he compliments the atmosphere of the music very well.



If you like to sit down with an album and go for a ride (whether literally in your car or figuratively in your room), give these guys a chance. I feel they are the best way to get into some of the more fringe metal genres."

Surprisingly good...

Boris Kaplun | Reston, VA | 04/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I shudder every time I decide to do a review of a band on The End Records. They're notorious for housing acts that are bizarre enough and so far off into left field that most attempts at coherent and informative reviews turn into humiliating displays of self-deprecation. Fortunately, humility isn't lost on me.



Actually, The Sense Apparatus isn't too weird so much as it's a bit unsure of itself.



Firstly, I'm torn on the vocals. Kjetil Fosseid sings in several distinct styles - a screech reminiscent of typical black metal, a strikingly beautiful melodic croon, a sort of distorted yelling, and various instances of soft, menacing whispers, brooding narration, and dark intonations that are entirely believable. Of these, his melodic voice is by far the most impressive and most fitting for the kind of music on display... though he doesn't use it as often as I'd like. There are also guest vocals from Madder Mortem's Agnete Kirkevaag - she's good.



The production is very thick. The guitars feel quite weighty, as though the chords themselves have a sense of physical mass. The drums have a chunky sound that's a bit overbearing - every single drum hit and every cymbal crash is completely distinct and powerful in its own right. The bass mostly resigns itself to the background, but is quite deep and does a wonderful job of making the overall picture complete.



The playing itself doesn't fail to include technical spasms that encompass the usual tempo shifts and rhythmic variations, but these things are not the focal point of the album, nor are they the point of the album at all. Frantic Bleep do not want to be a "progressive metal" band. The music here is not about crafting elaborate arrangements; it is not about instrumental wizardry; it is not about complicated rhythmic structuring; it is not about going out of your way to screw with melody and harmony until only the nerdiest of music nerds in the universe will "understand" what the hell it is you're actually playing.



So what is it about?



Atmosphere. Every note, every melody, and every lead exists to craft an atmosphere of longing, sorrow, despair, and hope (have a listen to "Sins of Omission" - gorgeous). The shifts in dynamics from dark, brooding ambience to austere assaults of metallic rage serve to create bleak emotional storms; unwavering shining beacons in a desolate wasteland of inhumanity. In doing this, Frantic Bleep succeed admirably.



Nice artwork, also."