Silverburn – Self Induced Transcendental Annihilation
MSH Music Group
Release Date: 11/08/23
Running Time: 31:45
Review by Oli Gonzalez
7/10
Self Induced Transcendental Annihilation (or simply, SITA) is the brainchild of solo musician James ‘Jimbob’ Isaac. The product of an involuntary period of isolation during the global shutdown, or gut-punch as he eloquently describes it as. Gut-punch would be an appropriate way to describe SITA too, given its hard-hitting and high octane output! I found myself involuntarily bobbing my head along to ‘Formless Atomization Of Omniscient Particulate’, such was the infectious groove. Same with ‘Vita Potentia Animus’. James’ vocals feel gritty, raw, and primitive. Some vocalists struggle to capture this style of vocal in the studio, but credit to him and his producer, Gethin Pearson for doing so. I particularly enjoyed the Mastadon-esque guitar riff in the opening to ‘Pain Body (Torn From Auric Field)’, the progressive hypnotic style patterns. This hints at a subtle deeper understanding of versatility in composition, adding a welcome contrast to the aforementioned speed and chaos.
What genre to fit this album into, and who would most enjoy it? I think this would suit most hardcore fans, those seeking the raw primitive energy of bands in the vein of The Dillinger Escape Plan, or pretty much any who likes their music fast, hard hitting, and with no bells or whistles attached. In a live setting, I could really see this causing some mild chaos within the right audience.
Some solo projects suffer from poor production values. However, I was drawn to the clarity and precision of the drum segments in particular, as well as the sharpness in the guitar tones deployed. The whole album has a raw yet polished production value, perhaps deliberately retrograde. This totally works and captures James’ raw emotion perfectly, something that would be lost if it was too polished.
At first, I did wonder if the album was a bit too one-dimensional. Upon the first and second listen, it’s hard to really differentiate between the eight songs, almost as if some of the riffs and ideas are being stretched too thin. This may be the curse of producing and writing an album solo; the lack of creative input from others and musical diversity. However, James has shown evidence of being able to mix it up compositionally and incorporate other ideas. I’d like to see him expand on this on the latest record, and perhaps go for a quality over quantity approach. Overall, it’s a brave attempt at a debut album.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Annihilation
02. Formless Atomization Of Omniscient Particulate
03. Vita Potentia Animus
04. Pain Body (Torn From Auric Field)
05. Simulacreality
06. The Unrelenting Will Of Boundless Immortality
07. Etheric Crush
08. Bathe In Fire
LINE-UP:
James ‘Jimbob’ Isaac – All instruments and vocals
LINKS:
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