Album Review

Loxodrome – State of the Union Speech

• 15th Feb 2008

Unsigned or relatively unknown bands have one of the strongest advantages any musical venture could have: the ability to play absolutely anything they want-true artistic freedom: to mix any genre without influence of outside forces or preconceived notions. It’s an advantage some take others don’t and some occasionally dip into.

Growing from influences approaching the cusp of heavy music’s experimentalists to some thrown right over the abyss Loxodrome take a syringe and pull a small amount of those artists DNA and inject it into their own music-rather than stock influencing it’s more the ability to realize that they can work in bigger circles; this means more interesting beats, different vocal stances and alternative guitar mixes.

Desperately pushing their point and emotion across before they implode, ‘Speechless’ shows the wealth of ideas here, and mixes them just on the right side of intoxicatingly without passing out. Moving from metal heavy riffing to melodic excursions-sometimes inside a single riff is Loxodromes strongest suit ‘LXD’ tightening and punching strong and accurate.

‘Hard as bone’ represents the height of the current idea path Loxodrome have chosen to follow-proving a completely polished performance on an album confident in what it wants to do, clear in its ability. Utilizing elements rap and electronic music brought to the dance and bands like faith no more and System took and twisted before draping with metal chords and distortion.

Right at the culmination of the album with the tile track ‘State of the union speech’ Loxodrome risk just a little bit more and succeed a lot in creating the albums best moments and balance.

Throughout Loxodrome smash the flint against the tinder of ideas, although it sparks regularly, the raging fire never completely engulfs the album-this shouldn’t sway you however from experiencing an enjoyable album by an engaging band. If Loxodrome produce another album of similar material it would be considered a failure, a regression-with some more risks and experimentation they will harness and produce material becoming of there ability and genetic lineage.

Mark Cooper.