When I first saw this band, it was in a very small venue in Subang. It
was sometime since I actually went to a gig, since I was busy with what
other people call, "the real life." Typical of small venue gigs, the
place was suffocating but the aura was much more intimate.
As the walls crush in, the amps surround the area; a feeling that cannot be replicated in bigger halls. Since the band was not the 1st to play, and the event started later than usual (I'll talk about that another day). I had the chance to chat up with the band. My introduction to this Progressive Metal band, was through their track Pride, posted on their Facebook page.
Now, I am a man who gets critical of his prog, seeing how later-era Death records were higher in my list than Death Metal classic "Scream Bloody Gore" and also being a big fan of Enslaved, I have a high bar on the quality of prog. That doesn't mean I need to have technical guitar solos full of wanking, bombs and fury of notes, but I just like my prog done well. The mad solos, time signatures and different elements introduced into metal, but not common to it were just the cherry on top and just like cherries, sometimes we put it aside for the 3 layer cheesecake.
As the walls crush in, the amps surround the area; a feeling that cannot be replicated in bigger halls. Since the band was not the 1st to play, and the event started later than usual (I'll talk about that another day). I had the chance to chat up with the band. My introduction to this Progressive Metal band, was through their track Pride, posted on their Facebook page.
Now, I am a man who gets critical of his prog, seeing how later-era Death records were higher in my list than Death Metal classic "Scream Bloody Gore" and also being a big fan of Enslaved, I have a high bar on the quality of prog. That doesn't mean I need to have technical guitar solos full of wanking, bombs and fury of notes, but I just like my prog done well. The mad solos, time signatures and different elements introduced into metal, but not common to it were just the cherry on top and just like cherries, sometimes we put it aside for the 3 layer cheesecake.
Now back to the band's music.While the band was definitely proggy, I cannot help but notice the Metalcore influence in the breakdowns. Fortunately, it was bearable and did not turn into the soundtrack of neanderthal floor punchers, but was layered with a talented guitarist, who was able to add another level of melody. The vocalist, Pip, was able to transition from mid pitch growl, which was a hybrid between a Hardcore growl and Lamb of God's vocals to clean singing.
Now mind you, the singing is more suited for a Heavy Metal band rather than the choruses of modern Post-Hardcore bands. At parts, there's double tracking if I am not mistaken and I was not sure how they're replicating them live, unless their guitarist was also able to do growls. I don't recall seeing any extra vocals during the gig.
Now, back to their live set. Unfortunately I was not able to see the full band. Turns out their vocalist Pip was in Australia, completing his Master's Degree and their guitarist, Johan was not able to attend in order to complete the line up. That meant that some tracks were "simplified" for that lineup. Fortunately, the rest were still able to knock my socks off. With a temporary vocalist named Ko'e who was able to fill in the ranks, the bullets were loaded. The tracks, were able to capture my mind (they needed both guitarists to play Pride), but to be fair, getting the kicks after not watching a gig for quite sometime did hype me up a bit. The band was able to smoothly transition from a groovy metal section at one point to parts that I'm pretty sure were blast beats that were able to rival a high speed Black Metal band, to proggy time signatures.
The Metalcore influence was present in some parts but it wasn't that apparent. In fact, some of the melody lines were probably not Metalcore influenced, but more like a variant on the classic At The Gates styled riff. The short breakdowns probably may have given that impression. The real star of that live show to me was their drummer, Christian. The way he transition from one time signature to the other, and the speed he was doing it just made me want to salute him on the spot. (I didn't do it, who the hell would do it when somebody is trying to drag you into a line of windmills? Let's say it was a mental salute.)
Here's Christian Dufour, basking in glory.
However, the music was not the only impressive quality of the band. The band members were down to earth, despite their talents and the many pats on the back they got from the other musicians who were in the vicinity of that small studio. I learned a bit about the band history from their founding member, Howe (bass) about the band, and also learned about their personal history a bit, from their Sharon, the band's keyboardist.
True enough, from what I originally suspected, the band started as a Metalcore band but then evolved into a different monster as band members come and go. They all left a distinct mark onto what became Ataraxique today.
Cover for their promo art
While I haven't had the chance to get their promo CD yet, I'll get it from the band when I have the chance to meet up with them. This is another band, that deserves more attention, from their hardwork alone. The band is one a one month break for now, but are ready to start rampaging again in Singapore, this September.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AtaraxiaKL
Terence A. Anthony commutes between Kuala Lumpur and Kuching. Co-Founder of Aural Chaos. He also writes for Greater Malaysia and Opinions Unleashed.