Aberrant Phase: Aberrant Phase (2011)

Summary Judgment

Aberrant Phase is a mathcore band who play a style of music that can be described as a more metal The Dillinger Escape Plan. In other words, it's crazy, spastic material. Their self-titled EP showcases a band that has a knack for songwriting that's tough to accomplish in the genre. Some put spastic weirdness in front of coherent songwriting. Only a few understand that those two features are not mutually exclusive, and Aberrant Phase get that.

Unfortunately, what they have missed is equally important: intensity. Any high-speed extreme music style must be performed with (at a bare minimum) balls-to-the-wall intensity. For grindcore and mathcore, an even higher threshold is required, something in the realm of "epileptic seizure" or "housewives on Black Friday". (If you've ever worked big box retail, you know what I'm talking about.) Sadly, that feature is not on display here.

Still, intensity can be learned. Perhaps good things are in store for this band. As it is, I issue summary judgment against the EP.