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Truth Becomes Death - Nadja | ||||||||||||||||
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 In the time it has taken me to write this review, Aidan Baker may well have completed several new albums, such are the feats of his productivity. He describes himself as someone who: 'explores the deconstructive sonic possibilities of the electric guitar as a primary sound source, creating music that ranges from experimental to post-rock to contemporary classical' Now, this statement may not have gone down well in an audition for a heavy metal monster sludge metal band, and doesn't exactly paint the image of NADJA conducting black masses and burning down churches. But with their album 'Truth Becomes Death' it seems Mr. Baker and Leah Buckareff are asking us to give them the benefit of the doubt while they dip our toes in their two person 'doom' metal outfit. Given Mr. Baker's previous slew of 'experimental' releases, he hardly comes across as a die hard metal fan. We know little of Ms. Buckareff's history other than she is a bookbinder from Toronto. The album is made of three long form tracks. It is a much less a copy of a doom metal format, more a sort of banter weight distressed dream pop that at times sounds lethargic from sheer reverence to My Bloody Valentine's Loveless album. No bad thing. Once I got past this initial mix-up, I found it much easier to enjoy this it for what it is, rather than be always tempted to throw it out the window and reach for the Electric Wizard CDs. Sonically the metal imitations are where the album disappoints slightly. The scuzz of the distortion just don't sound harmonically rich enough. Guitars tend to fizz instead of burn, the occasional vocals sound raucous instead of howling. Most of the clichés are here, but not the nuances. In a way the heaviness is missing. What heaviness exactly is though, is more difficult to define. I'm guessing the problem is due to production techniques rather than intent. It could be digital effects and lashings of reverb set on 'uber cavernous' that will never quite fill up the space. It's mainly why 'Memory Leak' fails to impress at the beginning, but is utterly captivating in the last four minutes of its total sixteen, as things quiet down, become less metal, and are more ignorable. It's here that Nadja demonstrate a sensitivity that would be impossible to present in the usual metal way. 'Breakpoint' the finale is a sort of double song. The first six minutes a reasonable doom-by-numbers with a lovely clenched ride cymbal as snare drum. And then Mr. Baker takes the brave step to whisper his final lyrics over a softly strummed guitar. Usually hearing lyrics like "culmination, conflagration of parasites, inflammation" would sound fine if howled into a storm of blistering mogadon riffs. So the surprise here, is that what should be the most ridiculous tongue-in-cheek part of the album, really ends up being fragile and intimate. Good work. It's a mixed album, some parts captivating, dreamy and haunting in their faux 'rawk' setting; some parts ugly, unchallenging and nasty sounding. Which parts appeal is up to you. Review by Mark McLaren
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