It's been a long road since Momentum's last album (2010's Fixation, at Rest)—especially when considering that a portion of The Freak is Alive's title track was first posted online back in October of 2012—but thanks to Norwegian label Dark Essence Records, it's finally here. The Freak is Alive continues the group's ambitious take on that nebulous form of modern metal that's a mixed bag of influences and styles that doesn't really rest its head in any traditionally predetermined genre—seeing the Icelandic trio joined by a number of additional guests; adding sporadic vocals, piano, violin, synth, percussion, and then some. It's "progressive" and "post-" and tinted with "doom," but goes far beyond. All of the above, yet none of the above.
"Bury the Eyes Once Gold" wisely opens the disc with immediate intensity, breaking into a surge of chugging rhythms and guttural vocals encircled by subtle piano and synths. Always refusing to stagnate, about a third of the way in the piece thins out to pulsing bass and sparse clean guitars with somewhat monotone singing, as piano picks up a bit in the distance and transitions over into atypically galloping rhythms and spiraling arpeggiated riffs. "Between Two Worlds" then follows the opposite approach of the slow build from soft clean guitars and droning vocal harmonies with occasional waves of dense distortion and resonantly sustained melodic runs, holding a slow and steady pace all the while. And the brief "Familiar Unknown" acts as somewhat of a segue in the storyline; its narrative, vocal-centric delivery gradually adding layer upon layer of pulsing drones and xylophonic melodies with sporadic percussion—very fitting of its lyrical references to "drifting" and "falling" into "a world completely unknown, yet so familiar."
Nestled midway through the album is its phenomenal title track (my absolute favorite herein). First exposed to the composition long ago, it eventually grew like an infection—hypnotically wedged into my brain to the point where I absolutely fell in love with its slightly more technical and complex use of winding riffs, layering, stuttered time signatures, and peculiar vocal arrangements:
Downward smile, crooked eyes. The freak is alive. Neither passive, nor aside. The muppet, it flies...
...through your mind's eye. Controls you, from within.
Lyrically it doesn't particularly mean much to me, yet it still crushes with the weight of the world, in an intense and emotionally stirring manner. Quite an achievement. Just amazing.
There are a few other generally aggressive tracks spread throughout (several towards the end, as the album's concept takes a darker turn)—occasionally even bringing back the guttural vocals—such as "Gauntlet" (which drops out to tribal percussion and sitar with choral vocals during its final minutes), "A Beast is Near," and "Creator of Malignant Metaphors" (arguably the most "straightforward" track herein, though not without its twists). And I must specifically cite the absolutely awesome drum performance in "Undercover Imagination." I'm a sucker for those flourishes of cymbal flare and the jazzy zest to the energy of the patterns during its opening moments!
The recording and mix make use of a lot of really intricate attention to detail, with layering and panning adding to the subtleties, so the whole experience really leaves you feeling swallowed by the music. The few occasions where things really strip down to minimal instrumentation hit pretty damn hard, because you realize just how much was actually stripped away in the process. I'm not sure I can effectively communicate with words the ways in which this really is a true work of art—which perhaps explains the length of time between albums. It's beautiful and heavy and huge and clear, sinister yet buoyant. Very impressive.
The packaging contains one page per song that includes lyrics alongside a twisted, psychedelic, comic book-like illustration comparable to the album cover. The lyrics are somewhat abstract but seem to represent a conceptual journey of entering a lucid dream in order to free one's body and soul—along the way followed by "freaks" as you sink into some sort of psychedelic experience. The tale turns gradually darker, its "resolution" uncertain: you are no one, trapped and alone in a vast nothingness, perhaps?
Day by day, wonder away. Woke up to let you see. Was born free, from within. Won't ever let you be. Downward smile, crooked eyes. The freak is alive. Neither passive, nor aside. The muppet, it flies. All you is, what you are not. Turned. What was will tear it away. Learned. Through your mind's eye. Controls you, from within.
I loosely compared portions of Momentum's last album to Radiohead, Neurosis, and City of Ships, but I would no longer do that. I don't know that I would compare The Freak is Alive to anything. Sure, it reveals certain familiar aesthetics, but nothing that particularly clicks as, "Oh, that part sounds a bit like so-and-so." And it's not too weird for its own good, either—an excellent display of decision-making skills with regard to songwriting and restraint. Lesser bands would very likely have taken this approach into painfully boring and typical "post-metal" territory, and thus failed miserably. Momentum, however, really achieves something special and unique, delivering a strange concept with amazing emotional impact. Highly recommended, and certainly deserving of wider accolades.
Get It
- Dark Essence Records (CD)
- Amazon (mp3)
