IDMEN

Idmen is an unusual album. Glancing at the divisive reviews, it's clear a lot of people, including fans of Indukti's first (and brilliant) album S.U.S.A.R., were put off by some of the strange experiments the band took on their second time around. The record doesn't make for easy listening, and it will likely take time to get used to, but it pays off a thousandfold. Simply put it's much heavier, and even stranger, than S.U.S.A.R., and if you're not prepared to take on an hour-length onslaught of technical mastery, it's probably not for you.

But if you are, this just might be what you're after. This is the sort of music that takes your mind and mood places. Very heavy places. It's intense, unrelenting, dynamic, and if you're willing to hear some progressive metal that takes a different approach, hugely rewarding.

Track 1, Sansara, is the spiritual successor to Freder from the first album. It took a few listens before I realised this, but... the song is so awesome that it deserves to be called Freder Part 2. It plays out like the most incredible action scene ever for five minutes, with non-stop adrenaline-packed desperate guitar rhythms, then settles into a beautiful acoustic melody.

I wonder about the theme of this song, because Sansara (or Samsara) is a concept of eastern religions concerning the cycle of rebirth. Especially at the end, the melody really gives a feel for that, somehow... the whole song is like a channel of expression from the divine. Straight away it's my favourite track on the album.

If you haven't heard Freder yet, it's a preview track on Progarchives; go bless your ears with it.

The rest of Idmen takes some patience and openness to sink in, but delve in bravely...

Track 2, Tusan Homichi Tuvota, was the preview track Indukti posted for Idmen. I first heard it as an instrumental and it didn't really grab me. Now, hearing it with vocals, the effect is... very different. This is bound to take some getting used to, but after listening more than a few times, I feel Tusan Homichi is a dark metal masterpiece. Featuring the surprise element of death growling, which is bound to put some prog fans off, it builds up to one of the most incredible climaxes I've ever heard in... music. From what I can make out of the lyrics, the song tells a very strange story about a field mouse who tried to kill a hawk... so make of it what you will.

Track 3, Sunken Bell, in fantastically atmospheric. You can close your eyes in this track and imagine you're creeping through a jungle at night. It's appropriately brief and it really makes you feel. A great interlude.

Track 4, ... And Who's the God Now?! starts with a three-minute intro that reminds me of Tool's 'Reflection,' in the best way possible. Again, Indukti manages to channel something, creating a remarkable atmosphere that twists and turns through the whole song. Somehow it features full-on screams and a Spanish (or Greek?) influence AND a weird tribal chant and manages to make it all fit seamlessly. The chant at the end is bizarre. Prepare yourself.

Track 5, Indukted, is definitely my least favourite. It starts out with lots of promise; a ridiculously heavy and kickass guitar beat rolling upon itself like waves crashing violently in a storm. This goes on for two blissful minutes of heaviness before the song goes in an unexpected experimental direction that strikes me, unfortunately, as tasteless. It's technical but it just doesn't sound very good. Maybe when I'm feeling completely out of my mind I'd want to listen to this. The acoustic guitar at the end is fantastic and makes up for it but as a whole... perhaps this one still needs to grow on me.

Track 6, Aemaet, carries on in the same vein as Sansara, but it's even more technical, and there's a definite focus on drive and force rather than melody. It is awesome.

Track 7, Nemisis Voices, is... Tool. Completely. I hadn't noticed the Tool influence so much in the first album, S.U.S.A.R., but you could easily sell this off as a leaked track from the upcoming Tool album. The vocalist delivers my favourite performance of the three guest stars on the album, and sounds like a perfect mix between Mariusz of Riverside (who appeared on S.U.S.A.R.) and Maynard of Tool. Other than that it's a solid track, but it's probably going to annoy fans who like more originality in what they hear.

Track 8, Ninth Wave, fluctuates more than any other song on Idmen. Starting with a flowing tune featuring a very well-placed trumpet, it builds into heavy-Indukti mode and settles again, builds once more and settles again. A powerful finisher to the album, but I feel it's missing something: vocals. While Indukti is a mostly instrumental band, Ninth Wave definitely seems incomplete without a little chanting or something. I even get the impression they wanted to bring in a vocalist for this one but ran out of time, though I could of course be mistaken.

So I'd say, be open about this one. Approach with caution. Approach with an open mind. It's dark and merciless music, and the more you listen to it, the more you realise that's what's so good about it. After hearing both a few times, I'd say I prefer S.U.S.A.R. to Idmen, but they're both, ahem, 'excellent additions to any prog rock music selection' at any rate, so Idmen gets a solid four stars from me. Great effort, and I'd love to see them live to hear how its driving energy translates to the stage. Pick it up if you dare and enjoy!