Genghis Tron - Board Up The House

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Release Date:
Label: Relapse
Rating: (9)

They grow up so fast… Cast your mind back to June 06; Genghis Tron had just released ‘Dead Mountain Mouth’, a crazed and belligerent brute of a record that spewed forth screaming vocals, cyclonic riffs and haywire electronic beats like some kind of digitally augmented Converge. Bloody good it was too, and the UK tour that followed only confirmed their position as one of the most exciting bands on the US underground. However, one always suspected the youthful trio were destined for greater things. Beneath their electrogrind maelstrom laid a subtle melodic sensibility and experimental flair that hinted at something bigger, bolder, and even more enthralling. Something like ‘Board Up The House’.
It’s not that the ’Tron have mellowed out – on the contrary, this disc contains some of their heaviest moments yet – but with album number two they have really opened up their sound, assimilating elements of prog, new wave, synth-pop and psychedelia into their startlingly individualistic vision. The keyboards of Michael Sochynsky play a more pronounced role, veering from the nimble-fingered hyperprog of the title track to the sparse two-minute instrumental ‘Recursion’, which could almost pass for one of Kid 606’s more introverted moments. Elsewhere, ‘Colony Collapse’ borders on The Dillinger Escape Plan territory, building to a mesmerising climax that contrasts crunching hardcore guitars with gorgeous Zombi-esque tones, while ‘Endless Teeth’ and ‘The Feast’ serve as short, sharp lessons in electro-fried brutality.
Perhaps the most striking thing about ‘Board Up The House’, however, is its sense of humanity. Yes, the band can still convulse and scream with the best of them, but on occasion they will strip back the layers to reveal a raw vulnerability. Haunting keyboards and dark, skittering electronics herald the arrival of ‘I Won’t Come Back Alive’, with vocalist Mookie Singerman adopting a mournful melodic croon that’s completely at odds with his usual acidic scream, before Hamilton Jordan ups the ante with some truly crushing guitar work. For all its reliance on computer software and synthetic textures, this one song alone contains more in the way of genuine human emotion than many bands can muster in a lifetime. Eleven-minute closer ‘Relief’ is equally forlorn; Singerman intoning, “I see no light ahead, I choke a desperate breath”, atop a gently hypnotic guitar line, paving the way for a churning celestial march that Justin Broadrick would be proud to call his own.
Its lyrical message may be one of misery and despair, but musically speaking, ‘Board Up The House’ stands as a shining beacon of hope. Genghis Tron show the listener that it hasn’t all been done before – that it is still possible to create a record that’s smart, original and face-implodingly entertaining. Sure, you could pass it over in favour of the latest crapfest from whatever smug cretins are gracing the magazine covers this month, but you’d only be cheating yourself. Best follow the path of righteousness and join Genghis Tron as they venture forth into the unknown…
FOR FANS OF: The Locust, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Nine Inch Nails, The Faint



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