EP Review: Plasmodulated - Plasmodulated
Reviewed by Sam Jones
From the mind of Myk Colby of Wharflurch fame comes a side project, that sees Colby unleash a darker and more gruesome form of death metal than his aforementioned band released last year. Formed only very recently, Plasmodulated found itself starting up around a veritable mecca of old school death: Florida. Often I’ve checked out a debut album or an EP by a band who have been going for some time, yet in this instance we have the opportunity to observe the very first work Plasmodulated have ever released. With only five tracks in total I knew it wouldn’t take long to dive in and see what was up, so let’s take a look at this one-man side project and where we could be projected down the line in the next few years.
It’s curious to listen to a modern work of death metal that isn’t tuned low down or feels like it’s caving our face in. The guitar work is absolutely taking us for a ride and you can feel the energy it’s able to impart, yet it’s not like our senses are getting continuously annihilated. We’re able to bask in the nightmare this Demo offers and experience everything instrumentally therefore, which the band can deliver. In a bizarre way, the choice to deliver the heavy riffs in the same tone a standard heavy metal soundscape might deliver them on results in a soundscape that feels more aggressive. Solos and freeform guitar pieces come off as piercing and possess this cerebral quality you wouldn’t receive had the band opted for that crushing persona. It’s dark and dirty old school death metal done and played from way back in the day.
With that said however, I love the essence of bass this Demo is able to project. Whether it’s absorbed into our psyche through the primary bass guitar, whose bass lines are impossible to ignore and just as important to the mix as any rudimentary riff is, or the bass conceived through the drumming, where kicks are felt with great vigour. It’s not merely that they feel powerful or in our faces, much like the riffs it’s brought back a touch to give us that room to experience everything without it feeling forced unto us. The drumming feels outlined in a bold line where every strike or kick feels deeply accentuated, where it’s given freedom within the mix to move without the rest of the mix stifling it. None of the instrumentation throughout this Demo feels strangled or suffocated through an abundance of elements. Each aspect is lent time and space to deliver precisely what is required throughout the songwriting.
I liked how the vocals are effectively unintelligible. I was unable, and it’s surely the case with anyone else tuning in to this Demo, to make out a single concise word from the vocals. It’s evident that the vocals are to be wielded and received more as an atmospheric element than an actually viable vocal performance. What’s more is how they seem to be placed a little further towards the back of the Demo, they’ve clearly got great power behind them but as the Demo only proceeds it never got right in my face. Their volume seems to have been quelled a little so they’re placed on a level playing field alongside the instrumentation; there’s no case of one part overpowering the other with this release. It certainly makes for an immersive listen as while Plasmodulated play, there’s no question as to where your attention is lying.
In conclusion, this Demo by Plasmodulated is a roaring success. I would be fully on board to see this band release a full length at some point in the future. My favourite thing about it was how it never felt like it was being held hostage or at gunpoint in order to fully enjoy everything being offered. It never got in my face nor did it try exerting itself powerfully over me; I was a willing participant in its ride and more than ready to carry on with its performance to see where else it would take me. This Demo isn’t a long ordeal, however it felt longer because of the time I was prepared to invest into each nook and cranny the songwriting offered up. I was fully immersed while the Demo played with my attention totally fixated on what they may do next. On the whole I was very pleased with this release, where Plasmodulated has become a band to watch in the near future.
