Mathcore is an odd genre in general, mostly underground and, for the most part, very experimental. There have been some bands, such as The Dillinger Escape Plan, that are classified as Mathcore that have garnered extremely impressive critical reception, while there are others, like Design the Skyline back in the days of their demo song “Surrounded By Silence” that weren’t so well-received. The reason I’m mentioning this is because Mathcore is the genre that Long Island’s Car Bomb’s debutCentraliais classified as.
For the most part, these bands take on a usual -core genre sound with heavy experimentation in the likes of instruments and time signatures; however, there are others that do more. They experiment with almost everything; vocals, instruments, song structures, time signatures, and almost anything you can imagine; despite being a positive or negative thing.
Car Bomb’s Centralia is definitely an album that falls into that category, sounding like a mix between Mathcore and Death or Extreme Metal. Luckily, it falls into the area of well-executed experimentation.
The band wastes no time with an introduction track; they just jump straight to the point with the first track “Pieces of You” with drummer Elliot Hoffman’s swift drumming followed by vocalist Michael Dafferner’s screamed vocals, as well as the heavy (and rapid) guitar and bass provided by Greg Kubacki and Jon Modell respectively showcase what this album will be all about; a heavy, brutal, and yet highly experimental metal album.
The band listed two of their influences as Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Understandably, their sound is very close to that of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s debut, Calculating Infinity, though much heavier, as well as having some minor similarities to Meshuggah’s earlier sound.
Some of the tracks on Centraliasound less experimental than others, as well as some feeling like filler. The intro track “Pieces of You” was a great track with a good amount of variety in the sound. Tracks such as “H5N1”, “Solid Grey”, and “Gum under the Table” were by far the strongest tracks on the album and stood out the most.
What made these songs stick out compared to the songs I felt were more of filler tracks or just weaker songs such as “M^6” and “Cielo Drive” were the sporadic use of clean vocals, very complex guitar work, and great song structure. “Hypnotic Worm” and “His Eyes” were two more very solid tracks that the album greatly benefits from.
I found the track “Rid” to be an unnecessary twenty-seven second track at first, but I grew to like it after a few listens, as it showcases how quick and brutal the music on Centralia can become.
The album’s production is pretty good, the only complaint I have is that the vocals could have been made clearer at times, even if only by a small margin. The production does, however, contribute to the band’s sound at times, such as in “Cellophane Stiletto”, “Best Intentions”, and “Gum Under The Table” where it complements the pick scraping and artificial harmonics created by the guitar.
I’m glad that the clean vocals don’t sound overproduced, high pitched, or sound like they have a pitch corrector such as auto-tune because it also adds a darker element to this already morbid album..
Car Bomb delivered a very promising debut withCentralia, showcasing their abilities as great musicians as well as their talent with song construction. Not every song is amazing, though almost all are, and it should be enough to keep the listener hooked. There really are no “boring” moments in the album, and I found the slow breaks in “Solid Grey” and “H5N1” to be very cleverly placed, becoming album highlights in my opinion.
All in all, Centraliadefinitely delivers to those looking for something heavy or different, but avid haters of core music may not enjoy the band’s core elements.Centralia is an excellent album for those who are willing to listen to it, though it definitely won’t be for everyone.