Review Summary: A good release with a number of glaring and annoying flaws.
Chameleon Technology is the brainchild of one man, California-based Max Histrionic, but you would never know judging from the music on display. Unlike many other solo projects, Chameleon Technology exudes a sound that is full and rich, leaving no trace that there is only a single artist behind the creation of the music... except for on stage, where Histrionic plays guitar and sings, synchronising to high-quality audio and live-action video of himself performing on bass and drums.
The latest EP from the project is titled
Blank Canvas and it kicks off with an absolute barnstormer called “No Safe Word”. A melodic hardcore track in the vein of Rise Against, the EP is off to a strong start. That is unless, of course, you're a fan of reading lyrics. The lyrics on the opener are vomit-inducingly bad. Look no further than the opening stanza, for example:
“I wanna throw you on and off the bed.
I wanna pull your hair and slap your ass.
I wanna mold you like pizza dough.
I wanna use my tongue like massaging jello.”
A real charmer, old Max is. Still, if you choose to ignore this aspect of the music (as many can) then you're off to a pretty great start.
“Serin's Vending” is the follow-up and at this point the comparisons to Green Day start becoming readily apparent. Histrionic's voice is extremely close to Billie Joe Armstrong's in a number of ways and the comparisons are only made even stronger by the backing vocals, which are shouted in a very similar way to how Mike Dirnt does for that band. “Lifestyle Science” follows a similar path, with pop hooks and riffs that all bring to mind some of the faster tracks of that band's later years (think “St. Jimmy”).
“Self Repair” slows proceedings down a fair bit and marks an effective change of pace, changing up the style and tone of the EP. However, it's probably the weakest track on the release, lacking in a particularly memorable hook to rope you in. The title track, closer and first single on this release is also a bit more mid-tempo than the blistering pop-punk numbers that came before, but it does it more effectively than “Self Repair” did. The song builds-up to an explosion of shouted vocals and riffs that are sure to be stuck in your head for hours to come. However, the one area that feels a bit lacking here is the vocals, which sound a bit stretched and therefore lacking in the intended power. Regardless, it's a strong closer that nicely rounds off a short but (fairly) sweet EP.
Blank Canvas is a thrilling, but at times inconsistent, ride. Clocking in at just over 11 minutes, this seems to be little more than a brief taste of what could be to come from Chameleon Technology. It's hard to give this anything above a mid-level score when the two longest tracks are the two that drag the rating down the most. However, the potential is there for all to see and I have no doubt that the live show would be an experience to behold. All in all, if you enjoy Green Day with a bit of edge then be sure to pick this one up.
