Candiria

Published Aug 01, 2004
An 18-wheeler smashing into the bands van while on tour in 2002 couldve easily ended Candirias career, but instead these Brooklyn-based metal mathematicians have released their strongest album yet, despite broken bones and bruises (check out their totalled van on the album cover). What Doesnt Kill You
incorporates more rock-based elements than their last proper album, 2001s 300 Percent Density, yet retains the bands penchant for prog/hip-hop experimenting. Opener "Dead Bury The Dead throws down their usual mathcore stylings mixed with Aghora-esque passages and jazzy spurts. The manic "Blood revolves around Kenneth Schalks Neil Peart-like time-keeping, and front-man Carley Coma finds time to drop rhymes midway through the aggro-intensive "1000 Points Of Light. Coma has a full-fledged hip-hopper in "9mm Solution with funky backbeats, but the ready-for-mainstream "Remove Yourself and especially "Down are quite a departure for the band: Coma sings not screams or raps in a jaw-dropping turn, and he plus bassist Michael MacIvor and guitarist John LaMacchia deftly add three-part harmonies for truly unforgettable tuneage. Their harmonies in "The Nameless King sound like a cross between Metallica and Dream Theater, while "I Am recalls similar turns from Time In Malta. The album ends with "The Rutherford Experiment, a prog-friendly instrumental that allows Schalk to display his formidable keyboard skills. As jacks of all genres, Candiria once again astonish fans with an exemplar of this years best metal.