When it becomes apparent that MMAD stands for ‘Make Me a Donut’ fears of a psychotic mix up between Primus and the Bloodhound Gang are not unfounded. Well, the psychotic part was right at least, for MMAD are, in fact, purveyors of a particularly lethal strain of juddering metal, rarely heard outside of the confines of Gojira and Mastadon, and their debut album, ‘Olson’ is a furiously enraged blast of twisted guitar riffs, stuttering rhythms and ungodly screams. With only two tracks previously available (‘revelations’ which is included here and ‘a new world order’), there is a good chance this is going to be the first experience of MMAD’s unhinged racket for many, and it is one hell of an introduction to the band.
Opening with ‘baseness’ the first thing that grabs you is the pulverising production job which renders Joan Liechti’s percussive blasts with a clarity that places them in the same room as you, somewhere juist behind your eyeballs. Even more impressive are the vocals of Isaie Massy which start somewhere south of the borders of insanity and only intensify from there. The fact that Isaie seems capable of emulating the style and delivery of about five completely different vocalists in any given song is an added bonus and one that means that the varied vocal approach never pales over the course of the album. The music is huge in scope, complex in delivery and reminiscent of Meshuggah round about the time they unleashed the hugely underrated ‘nothing’ album, with its elastic grooves, prominent bass and down-tuned guitars. ‘Algorithms of omniscients’ segues directly out of the first track and hints at a fascination with Australian mentalists The Alchemist, before the physically draining ‘Haunting seed’ emerges in a frenzy of wild-eyed riffs and throat ripping screams. Approximating the sound of Suicidal Tendencies indulging in an Emperor covers war with Meshuggah the sound is precise, almost mechanical, and yet with a punk edge that further enhances the sense of bile being spewed across the tracks – this is not music for the faint of heart. ‘Nemesis’ indulges in an rare bout of clean vocals over a shimmering backdrop that finds time to throw in jazzy bass lines (courtesy of Nathan Bothelho) and lead breaks that are more commonly associated with a love of Iron Maiden than Iron Monkey, all of which only goes to show that the band not only bring a range of styles to the plate but also have the skill necessary to weave them into a coherent, if brutal, narrative across the album.
Rising out of an ambient miasma, ‘we are vendetta’ suggests that MMAD spend a great deal of time absorbing the teachings of Neurosis and Isis when not laying down riffs thick enough to shatter cement, while an eastern flourish hints at a similar love of Nile. A song that veers wildly across the sonic palette, the ultimate victory of ‘we are vendetta’ is to carpet bomb the listener with sonic fury whilst maintain a tenuous enough grasp on melody to somehow remain memorable. Like being caught in the glare of an oncoming train, this is music destined to set the pulse racing, but there’s also a cerebral element that makes you want to return to the album again and again. ‘Psychic crystallization’ is short and possessed of a demonic energy destined to leave the listener drained, whilst the devilish sludge of ‘revelations’ sees the band employing the Meshuggah template with a vigour that is liable to cause palpitations in the unwary. The album ends upon the instrumental title track, a brief moment of shimmering light and hope amidst the bleakness. With an echoing guitar line that manages to haunt even when it is underpinned by the band’s more typical strum und drang, it closes the record on a satisfyingly evocative note and the album is all the more memorable for it.
‘Olson’ is a fascinating, tautly plotted record that wastes none of its all-too-brief run time on filler. Boasting only eight tracks, the band dispense with gaps between songs, segueing neatly from one monumental wave of nausea-inducing syncopated metal to the next. For the initiated, raised on the unconventional likes of Dillinger Escape Plan, Meshuggah, Neurosis and The Alchemist, this will be familiar territory with a violent twist, but for the weak of spirit these are violent lands indeed and not to be navigated without care. To put it simply, MMAD are unerringly brilliant at what they do, but this is unarguably music for the select few. Brutally heavy, viciously uncompromising, this is not a commercially minded project, but for those with a taste in extreme metal, ‘Olson’ is a powerfully recorded, brilliantly played and deeply satisfying release and it is essential for those who live on the edge of acceptability.
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