Genghis Tron is a band that is
truly like no other. I realize that statement has been used to describe some bands that are just a bit off, but Genghis Tron is an absolute anomaly. They somehow fuse intensely hard blast beats with ambient techno and pop and it
works. Their debut CD, "Cloak of Love" clocks in at 12:44 and will leave you in a trance wondering what the hell just happened.
The first time I heard Genghis Tron, I was talking to a friend of mine about Mindless Self Indulgence and how I thought they managed to produce a unique sound. They proved me wrong by sending me the first song off "Cloak of Love," entitled Rock Candy. At first I didn't get it. There was no beat to nod my head to and no song structure to follow. It sat idle in my music folder for months. Then, when I was cleaning out my collection, I saw it and decided to give it another listen. I had recently been listening to bands like the Dillinger Escape Plan, so I became a fan of tehnical music. The song blew my mind. I instantly went out and bought the CD.
Cloak of Love was released on Crucial Blast records in February of 2005. The booklet gives no first names for the band members.
Hamilton: guitars, drum machine programming, additional vocals
Michael: keyboards, electronic drum programming
Mookie: vocals, additional keys, theremin, lap steel
Rock Candy 4.5/5
The CD opens up to Genghis Tron's signature blast beat. Switch to ambient chords and a little keyboard melody. Blast. Cut to a keyboard fill with some (what sounds like) TR-808 underneath. Add a clean tremolo guitar riff above the melody. Drop the keyboards and guitar, and fill with more TR-808. Blast. Cut. Blast. Cut. Repeat. "Ooh, This music sounds
really good." The song continues on with this type of lunacy until it fades out to a drum machine with some light strumming abve it. A guitar fill with delay comes in above. Keyboards fill the backround with sound while the song continues, and eventually ends.
Arms 5/5
This is my favorite track on the CD. It opens with a drum machine, and quickly cuts to an intense blast with a nice tapping guitar lead above it. The song continues switching between blast and peace until it changes to what I think is one of the best tapping riffs I've ever heard, played over Genghis Tron's peaceful keyboards and drums. The tapping ends and the peaceful beat continues with strange sounds in the backround. A few seconds of blast come in, and the song cuts to a nice little guitar riff with metalcore style blasts interrupting it. The riff continues with the keyboards and the drum machine for the rest of the song.
Ride the Steamboat 4.5/5
This is probably the heaviest of Genghis Tron's songs. It opens to an intense blast that lasts around 26 seconds. An eerie sound comes in (the theremin, I beleive) over the keyboards. Next is a heavy metal style riff with a fast pulloff lead over it. The metal chords fade out and leave the pulloffs to solo over the keyboards while the song fades out.
Laser Bitch 4/5
The song opens with a beat that sounds like it could be ripped straight from a top 40 track. Vocals too laden with effects to be understood come in while the same poppy beat continues. It isn't long before Genghis Tron murders the pop with an extreme blast beat. What comes next is the most confusing thing I've ever heard in music. The combination of vocal effects and strange chords simply twist your brain into a knot. Next is a traditional sounding metal fill with no vocal effects. Thunder rolls as the breakdown begins. A dissonant guitar fill comes in and follows the rhythm of the breakdown until the end of the song.
Sing Disorder 4/5
The song opens up to a 50/50 mix of techno and grindcore. Around 0:41, a double bass comes in with the guitar. A quick trill and more strange sounds from the theramin slow the song down. A deep distant bass part comes in, sounding like an enormous monster is approaching from afar. A guitar riff starts and the beat starts blasting. Around 2:26, a breakdown comes in with a dissonant guitar riff above it. The guitar drops and the breakdown continues until the song ends.
Pros:
Absolutely unique sound
Clever name
A theremin (come on, how often do you hear of a grind band using a theramin?)
Cons:
It takes some time to grow on you
Too heavy for some people
CD IS TOO SHORT!
Album rating: 4.5/5
