THE MACHINIST – TOWERS

“Sagittarius in Bloom” takes no prisoners with an immediate frenzy of chaos, with intense vocals and synths intertwined with heavy drumming and riffs, leading into a space age interlude and a battle beyond. “Of Creation and Cancer” is an intense dive, driven by blast beats and chugging industrial thrums with a sinister guitar solo before venturing into a much more sci-fi territory.

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John T shows much diversity, credited as vocals, bass, synths and drum programming. John’s vocals are gravelly and deep, yet at the other extreme harmonic and blissful, as heard in “Sagittarius in Bloom”. The intensity of the vocals add to the oppressive, mechanical soundscape of the setting, with an impressive vocal outro towards the end of the song. More of these interesting, drawn out techniques bleed on into “Of Creation and Cancer,” ending the album with a cacophony of screams in “Cellular Catharsis,” like bodies burning in the intense heat of the sun.

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Lyrically Towers addresses facets of humanity, the nature of destruction and futility in our existence. It is brutal in its approach, making itself known in what it questions and analyses, firing off like a jackhammer and drowning out with voices and suddenly – nothing. It leaves you feeling something afterward, shaken and impacted.

The usage of synth sounds create a very futuristic dystopian landscape in the mind, atmospheric and expansive in its terror. Percussion is intense and the combination of blast beats and more distorted bass feel like blows to the body. The machine is forever pulsing. “Of Creation and Cancer” has so much of this oppressive energy, it is crushing to listen to.

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Tobias Gray and George Kal join the noise machine with full ruthlessness, adding to that sci-fi element with electric riffs and synchronicity. It feels like a perfect blend of organic versus cybernetic, ever fighting a futuristic battle – the struggle for existence in the face of inevitable destruction.

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Towers is mechanised fury incarnate, woven with bleak lore. It is loud, distorted and deliberately designed to overwhelm the senses. It is the hatred one harbours for humanity and the inevitability in which it often destroys itself with its own hubris. One thing that is forever constant – the universe and its harsh, vast depths. Towers is a knot of machinery and contempt, the root of all things reminding us of the darkness that could be our future.

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SCORE 9/10

Score by GhostinthearmouR