Review by Xephyr for Genghis Tron - Dead Mountain Mouth (2006)

Experimentation In Moderation

Modern extreme metal continues to get more and more extreme as different bands and even genres themselves try to outdo their predecessors in pure, unadulterated anger and aggression. And when it comes to anger and aggression, genres like Brutal Death or Slam Metal as well as Grindcore are pretty much uncontested in their ability to produce disgustingly heavy and chaotic music that exists only to push the boundaries of those two qualities. I've found that I look for more than pure aggression in Metal music, so the brutal grinds or slams of these more extreme metal genres have never really sat well with me, but Genghis Tron and the new-to-me Cybergrind genre attempt to change that with a much more melodic and intelligible album than I was expecting. 

Dead Mountain Death sounds daunting at first, with the intimidating Cybergrind genre looming over it, but after giving the album a serious chance I'm really glad that this is where my introduction to the genre began. It's easy to assume the worst and think that what would await you is a Grindcore album with electronics thrown in all over the place, but this album legitimately takes its time to create a very unique affair that isn't all about aggression. The Grindcore parts are definitely there, but the electronic elements that are sprinkled into the mix as well as the actually intelligible and slightly cleaner guitar riffs help to give songs real structure and a sense of motion rather than being two minute, one dimensional blast beat fests. The short and sweet Grindcore song length is still intact, but the constant and substantial switches in tone makes each song feel longer and more fleshed out than they actually are. If anything, less than half of this album is aggressive Grindcore sections, with most of the album being made up of slower atmospheric sections like in "From The Aisle" or electronic sections like in the beginning of "Badlands".

The fact that the brutal Grindcore took a backseat for a good portion of the album was a godsend for me personally, and I think it shows how much room there is for experimentation in extreme metal genres like this. The insanely incoherent vocals are the most consistently brutal thing in this album, but everything else is varied, intricate, and never completely overbearing. So many extreme metal bands seem to go for 24/7 aggression, but Genghis Tron are able to dial it back to fantastic effect on tracks like "Greek Beds" and "Warm Woods". There are legitimately great grooves in this album, which help to accentuate the heavier parts of the album whenever they come back around. The electronics are noticeable, but aren't overused and are mostly there to provide contrast to the rest of the music. There are some parts where the drums and synths go for the full Venetian Snares Breakcore experience, but it's only once or twice, meaning the gimmick is never really worn out. 

Death Mountain Mouth is a fantastic balancing act of things that I didn't expect to work and I definitely didn't expect to enjoy. I generally dislike extreme genres of metal, so the fact that I'm calling this a well thought out and balanced experience is saying something massive about this album. If anything, this album is beautiful in a lot of ways, with soaring chords on top of hellish riffs and aggressive drumming in tracks like the closing "Lake Of Virgins". The off putting Grindcore aspects are still there, like the incessant vocals and the sometimes chaotic and pointless riffing that comes and goes as it pleases, but this album does a fantastic job of transitioning into something meaningful whenever it decides to switch to something different. The album may feel chaotic and random, but it never feels aimless, transitioning somewhat smoothly in and out of electronic grooves, slower atmospheric sections, brutal breakdowns, and back to electronic interludes. All of the elements are present, but they aren't used all at once, which makes Death Mountain Mouth a fantastic example of moderation and smart songwriting which I think should be used much, much more in certain extreme metal genres. Even though I still dislike the core parts of many extreme metal genres, Genghis Tron stray away from those core ideas and experiment successfully in a way that is very interesting to me. This album is extremely unique to this day and I'm glad that certain extreme metal bands are choosing to push boundaries in different avenues rather than just anger and aggression.