Review Summary: Instrumental djent from eastern europe with grooves aplenty: this band are due to make a big impact in the future!
Recently, I watched a documentary about the evolution of the universe, and the physical laws that make it possible that our world should be as we know it. This programme and its footage evoked thoughts of a lone voyage into the mists of space and time, roaming the shores of far-off galaxies, and folding into ones own strange and bleary subconscious. I experienced a similar state of mind upon listening to Modern Day Babylon’s debut release ‘The Manipulation Theory’, which, while having great drive and precision, also manages to convey a sense of timelessness and of entering the unknown.
The prologue track ‘Key of Existence’ opens with incomprehensibly slurred words followed by the shining first chord, which seems to convey the thought of someone being violently dragged from a deep sleep: the awakening of senses and the opening of a mind once more. This musical theme continues to expand, easing the listener in with a steady tempo, but then dies away again, leaving you questioning what will unfold next. The answer is a track which threw me off my feet; ‘The Signs’ truly has everything one could wish for from a djent song. Unpredictable yet stirring riffs, wicked rhythmic textures and harmonic structures (the development of the ambient sections is totally seamless), and a timelessly virtuosic guitar solo. And then, as quickly as it appeared, the wall of sound dies away, making way for a beautiful piece of production: the linking of different tracks is something that this release has mastered, and the strange, ancient vibe that I get here, mixed with the classical Indian sound, is very intriguing.
Energy, musical awareness and true djent vibe are well maintained and built upon throughout this release: we can begin to gauge the true influences behind Tomáš Raclavský’s songwriting. The dissonant, jazzy, and often haunting licks and spacey, progressive solos are very reminiscent of Bulb and David Maxim Micic (who actually plays an amazing guest solo on the track “Universal Intelligence”), whilst the polyphonic texture and simplistic harmonic devices, such as well crafted rhythmic patterns being applied to thick but simple chords, are reminiscent of artists such as Tosin Abasi and Cloudkicker. This is not to say that Tomáš is unable to provide his own insight into the meaning of djent: quite the contrary. The space that his atmospheric ambiences manage to occupy is truly astonishing, and each different moment of music captures a new feeling, a new second in the musical path, which has been carved without any effort whatsoever. A good example of this, I think, is during the final track ‘Analog Love’, where the tremolo delay and reverb in the guitar give huge variation to the sound, and seemingly random notes convey a lifetime of feeling; the title of the track strangely conveys the message displayed in the music, although this is not a concept album.
Another prime asset of his work is the ease with which he combines the previous aspect of his songs with sheer aggression and groove. Songs like ‘Instant Djentlemen’ or ‘Shivers’ really give you something solid to work with in terms of memorable sections of pure riff and total headbanging, whilst at the same time one can become lost in admiration at the craftsmanship with which he constructs his songs.
If there was one thing I could single out for improvement in the future, it would be to record with live drums: programmed instruments cannot generate the feeling and musicality that live ones can, it’s as simple as that. The overall dynamics of the drums I feel would have been improved no end by this. The snare could sound a little sharper; it seems to act too much around the periphery in terms of overall sound. The same could be said of the bass drum: had it been brought out a little more in the overall mix, and been compressed slightly more, I feel that it would have had the presence it definitely warrants in the songs.
Despite this, however, Modern Day Babylon have only furthered their credentials with this remarkable release (and I’ve been told that only live instruments will be used in future, so not to worry!) I hope this approach to composition continues into the future, and look forward greatly to future endeavours from this project, be they live ventures or studio recordings. Just go out and pick it up for yourself; this is an opportunity not to be missed!
