“These seven words do not mean anything” lurches along with perpetual grimace. A convulsive collection of dark industrial rock, Insane Prototype’s grim opus weaves through the 7-track Ep with scatter-shot intensity. Quiet one minute, and explosive the next. Resignation and anger intertwine with pounding frequency, sometimes in the course of the same song.
Throughout Insane Prototype’s acrid and uncompromising approach, the music remains accessible and undeniably entertaining. Dmitry “Dekeey” Kalinin and Andrey Knyazev go to almost obsessive lengths to ensure a thrilling and dynamic listen. The quiet string tones that open the instrumental “Interlude N3” suddenly erupt into a wall of sound, with drums, a grinding guitar riff, and operatic choral arrangements, only to sink towards a torridly quiet conclusion. Leaving your senses astray…
The sheer sonic invention on display here is astounding. Insane Prototype’s production approaches tones of Gothic rock in terms of dynamism, though it arises from a profoundly different sensibility. The songs on the album seem to ultimately be explorations of profound disillusionment. However, once this Russian duo finish twisting their rock arrangements into all kinds of shapes, their songs become towering soundscapes of rage, that are at once terrifying and beautiful.
Many of the tracks on “These seven words do not mean anything”, create music that encapsulates a mood in its entirety. This, to me, is a tremendous feat, which few musicians manage to accomplish. Each track flows along and leads into the next one so well. Vocally the band have kept the parts controlled and never forced out of their singing range, while lyrically the album can hold its own, but it really shines musically. There are so many layers of rock-hard crunching sound, that blend seamlessly to create each song, and the instrumental sections drive like waves off an ocean. Awe-inspiring to say the least for a relatively young band.
My favorite songs on the album include: “Broken Blues”, “Demons Of The Past”, “Things That Overcome” and “Great Illusion”. This album takes you on a journey through a vast range of emotions, moving from unbridled fury to quiet desperation to a sort of dispiriting beauty.
All in all “These seven words do not mean anything”, is an extremely well done album, by a duo with great musical talent. You get the impression that Insane Prototype has used their feelings and thoughts throughout the entire album. Anger completes the heavier songs while despondency fills the slower ones. Their combination of the almost industrial like rock sounds of loud percussion and grinding guitars with the sometimes smooth piano or noise interludes, add great effect to the feel of emotions. On the other hand the vocals lift from a rather depressing low to a screaming high as both rage and sorrow around the tracks.
Where Insane Prototype will go from here is still to be known, but they certainly have set the bar for themselves right from the outset.
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