Review Summary: Colin Edwin headlines a project that is a sum greater than all its parts. An intriguing collaboration that hasn't been given its just desserts.
Since Porcupine Tree went on hiatus, all members have been extremely productive. While Steven Wilson has shined brightly, achieving mainstream success not even Porcupine Tree was capable of, and Gavin Harrison has begun working on new King Crimson material in addition to new solo and collaborative work, bassist Colin Edwin may be the most productive member of all. Since the hiatus, Edwin has released solo albums, collaborated with Jon Durant on Burnt Belief, recently released Twinscapes with Italian bassist Lorenzo Feliciati, and been an integral part of Metallic Taste of Blood. This collaboration features Edwin, guitarist Eraldo Bernocchi, keyboardist Jamie Saft, known from work with John Zorn and Bad Brains, and drummer Balázs Pándi, who has collaborated with Venetian Snares. For such an esteemed lineup of musicians, Metallic Taste of Blood has remained relatively under-appreciated.
Atmospheric post-rock melodies beautifully clash with high-tempo distortion. MToB is full of contradictions, but in a delightful sense. Edwin serves as the band's biggest name, but does not dominate the recording in the least. The graceful yet driving bass mixed with pleasantly schizophrenic drumming of Pándi keeps the album moving and serves as the most common thread, allowing stringy guitar licks and ghostly keyboards to graft themselves onto the songs in various forms.
The album opens with "Sectile," which starts with Bernocchi's heavily distorted, middle-eastern-tinged guitar tone, quickly cradled by a typical Edwin bassline--simple, driving, catchy. The next piece, "Schizopolis" is a strange, quirky mix of tone, melody, and rhythm, but never falls completely into dissonance. Midway through the track, listeners are hit with a haunting, delay-heavy, detuned section that feels like it is falling apart, only to abruptly regain its distorted drive until abruptly shifting once again to the echo-y "Glass Chewer." "Maladaptive" is a great example of how MToB mixes all of its sounds together, and as the song slowly fades out, one gets the fuzz-driven, middle-eastern vibe of "King Cockroach." Immediately afterwards, "Crystals and Wounds," serves as an ambient jazz piece with keys front and center.
Towards the end of the album, tracks like "Twitch," show off some of Edwin's more recognizable bass styles. However, Porcupine Tree enthusiasts would by no means see this as a mere continuation of Edwin's career. Like his former bandmates, he has clearly evolved and is creating highly developed, moody, atmospheric music that has no specific emphasis on instrumentation, but rather elicits full-immersion soundscapes full of emotion. The last track, "Transverse," may be the both the most melancholy piece and most cohesive on the album, and left me wanting another album from this lineup.
This is an album I am quick to highlight for prog rock, post rock, or prog metal fans as one of the most underrated albums of the last several years. It was hard to come up with acceptable recommendations, as this album really does find a very interesting and specific niche, but the dark, moody, improv-laden Metatonia by Porcupine Tree can at least get in the same ballpark.
