REVIEW: AMBIVALENCE - Silicone Magic

 

AMBIVALENCE - Silicone Magic (2010)

Stygian Crypt Records

AMBIVALENCE are here to deliver brutal Death/Grind Metal loaded with technical prowess, intensity, and genuine quality. Silicone Magic is an album that combines sheer aggression with a surprisingly varied musical approach, introducing psychotronic keyboard parts and unexpected melodic elements throughout its course—some of them carrying an almost humorous character that adds an unusual twist to the band's otherwise relentlessly savage sound.

The production is excellent: professional, powerful, and free of flaws. It possesses the necessary dynamics and sheer might to allow every aspect of the band's music to come through with clarity, without sacrificing the rawness and viciousness that this kind of music demands.

The riffs have volume, speed, and a distinctly depraved, psychotic scent, while the rhythms are predominantly high-tempo, driven by storming and highly aggressive drum work. The countless rhythm changes further enhance the technical character of the music, constantly shifting its momentum and keeping the listener on their toes. AMBIVALENCE clearly have the musicianship to handle these complex arrangements without allowing the technical side of their music to overshadow its brutality.

Lyrically, Silicone Magic is equally uncompromising. The album stands as a clamor against the corruption, emptiness, artificiality, and rottenness of the star system, giving the music an additional layer of attitude and purpose.

Silicone Magic is a superb piece of work that successfully combines brutality, technicality, eccentricity, and a twisted sense of melody. A must-have for devotees of extreme Death/Grind Metal who appreciate their music both savage and technically adventurous.

George Kefalas