Tetsuo the band have a suitable name for them: Shinya Tsukamoto's cult movie 'Tetsuo: The Iron Man' has these metal man-machines, who had not much own parts in their bodies. The movie is also disturbing and cold, and so is this music. Hardcore is transformed with death metal and other music styles including jazz and grindcore.

Tetsuo have a fascination with Nordic mythology and vikings. Beginning with Norwegian storytelling on 'Grunjir' the first song proper is 'Cigarette Put Put in Blood'. However, there's no sign of usual viking metal here. Dissonant guitar alternate with more metal ones, there's more tempo changes that in 10 "normal" records, abnormal rhythm patterns and the band look forward in their songs and hardly at all return to earlier parts. Two words picture the music perfectly: restless and anxious. Can't decide which one suits better here. Death metal parts are good, or then they sound that way among the hardcore stuff, which is not my cup of tea. Meshuggah-style polyrhythms are out in the many songs. Sound is live with everything sounding well balanced. Vocals steal the show as they roar aggressively. Drums sound organic, but lose the battle, soundwise, with fine bass. Guitar's okay, definitely heavy when needed. To call the band a power trio isn't an overkill.

This has two big problems in my ears. The first and obvious is non-metal parts. I just don't like hardcore very much and Tetsuo didn't make me to like it. Another thing is the song writing with millions tempo changes and parts. This has its times, but ultimately I just can't take it all. I just do not remember much after it's over.

Rating: 4+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
09/19/2004 20:46