The Real Music

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Ever since Napalm Death released their Scum LP in 1987, there's been, frankly, countless similar bands that have been very bland. Even the fans of the genre will agree that making a grindcore record that really sticks out is very hard to do. New Jersey's Discordance Axis took influences from the grindcore greats but added complexity, dissonance and rhythmical changes to the mix. As a result, they created some of the most interesting and intense records to be released under an extreme metal label, and became one of the key bands in something called "mathcore", which apparently is a blend of complex indie rock bands, like Don Caballero, and hardcore.

The Inalienable Dreamless fitted quite well with the band's mystique (like not doing promotional photography, only doing major tours in Japan and releasing their CD's in DVD cases with very extensive liner notes). The lyrics contain references by writers like Philip K. Dick and the Japanese Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. The music itself truly doesn't let go for it's 23-minute running time. Vocalist Jon Chang switches between a truly vicious kind of growling and a high pitched screaming that fans of Converge and Anal Cunt should be familiar with (in fact, the late Seth Putnam called him out by naming one of Anal Cunt's tracks "Stealing Seth's Ideas - The New Book By Jon Chang"), which a good friend of mine described as a pomeranian having a seizure. The double guitar-attack is always interesting and creative, which is difficult even in a conventional rock band. I think the lack of bass guitar on this album adds to the somewhat hypnotising quality of the music. It's very rare to be truly mesmerised by this kind of metal, rather than simply making your blood boil. The sole breathing space on this record is the second to last track, "A Leaden Stride to Nowhere", which leads the record into primal sludge territory. Therefore, the last minute and track on the album, "Drowned" is the most intense one and an excellent end. 

The near ten years of producing this kind of music proved to be too much for guitarist Rob Marton. After the album was done, he was forced to leave the band due to a severe case of chronic migranes, which rehearsals, recording schedules and shows often left him bed-ridden for several days. As of such, Discordance Axis called it quits after a tour in Japan and a final gig at CBGB's with newly recruited guitarist Steve Procopio. So, The Inalienable Dreamless became an unfortunate swansong, but what a swansong. Procopio eventually rejoined Chang in a brand new band called Gridlink, who have so far released two EP's on Hydra Head Records, the latest one released just last year. Apart from that, he also sings in a project called Hayaino Daisuki, whereas drummer David Witte joined crossover thrash icons Municipal Waste in 2004, aswell as collaborating with several other bands, such as going on tour with the Japanese noise rock legends Melt Banana.

S. Holm 16/07/12