Review Summary: Droid summons forth an intricate debut album, signaling a bright future.
All too often, heavy musical experimentation leads to a meandering mindset wherein ideas are pushed to the absolute breaking point, tiring the listener with tracks full of messy songwriting. Other times, however, the strange and wondrous come together in a perfect melding of free form thought and loosely wound structure, allowing for ideas to become brilliant, epic tracks. Droid, an up-and-coming contender in the ring of so-called “sci-fi thrash”, falls somewhere on the latter side of this continuum. While many of the band’s strange concoctions work brilliantly, others fall into the common trap of over-indulgence.
Their newest album Terrestrial Mutations is an interesting combination of old and new, taking bits of inspiration from off-the-wall thrash forefathers Voivod and Coroner as well as ripping a few pages from Vektor’s book of insanity. Each track contains shredding, mid-paced thrash along with more subdued, experimental moments that flesh out the songs and give them plenty of individuality. The guitars twist and turn, building aggression with flashy picking then releasing it at a moment’s notice. As with most thrash metal, technical riffing is a cornerstone of Droid’s music. However, the band doesn't force it; the tracks never fall into outright impenetrable nonsense . Instead, Droid focuses on inducing a futuristic, uplifting, and often psychedelic atmosphere. The percussion keeps pace with the guitars more than adequately, providing a level of progression and nuance rarely seen in modern thrash. Interesting patterns and fills are placed liberally throughout each track as the drums pound through various tempos, further cementing the band's progressive aura. The production deserves high praise as well. Each instrument is powerful yet not overbearing or compressed, allowing every note and beat to be heard effortlessly.
Terrestrial Mutations is at its best during its more aggressive moments. Both “Suspended Animation” and “Temptations of Terminal Progress” contain rather frenzied guitar work that complements the raspy bark of the vocalist remarkably, creating a true sense of momentum. These stretches of captivating musicianship occur quite often throughout the album and keep the energy level from waning. When Droid shows its experimental side it often works wholly to the song’s advantage, bringing even more power to the progressive-tinged thrashing that the band does so well. However, some of these dynamic recesses simply don't lead to anything of interest. Such is the case with the album closer, “Mission Drift”. The song trucks along, bringing many neat ideas to the table. The drums cut out near the end, leaving the guitars to build tension in the form of a rather creepy, space-themed interlude. One might anticipate an epic guitar solo or some sort of climactic thrash release, but instead a rather simple guitar and drum pattern ends the album on a bit of a low note. The pace of the album is questionable as well, with some parts dragging on far too long while others seem to end before they have a chance to be fully enjoyed. While not a huge issue, these hiccups do take away from the album’s otherwise fascinating atmosphere somewhat.
Overall, Terrestrial Mutations is a hugely enjoyable listen that anyone even remotely interested in the new age of thrash metal should find at least moderately enthralling. Those with a bit of patience will find themselves drifting off into the colorful void that Droid has created. While not every moment clicks as totally as it should, there is still an insane amount of talent on display here. With a bit more focus these experimental thrashers have a great chance to create something truly outstanding in the near future.
