HELLBOUND.CA
Review by Johnathan Smith
Though
Umbah has been around for quite some time, 2007’s Trilobeth
has been given a more widespread release on I, Voidhanger Records. It’s
a technical album that demands patience at first, but one that will
offer up many-layered rewards for those who like their extreme music to
be maniacal. Cal Scott’s one-man project is a smorgasbord of
influences and sounds, and this album is no exception. I, Voidhanger’s
press release states that Umbah is influenced by everything from Skinny
Puppy and Fear Factory to Cynic and Voivod. Indeed, the album’s
schizophrenic songs owe much to influences ranging from from prog metal
to industrial music. Rather than try and blend all of these elements
together, however, Scott goes for a more scissors-and-glue approach. Trilobeth
is an album that is impossible to pin down, so it’s best to just go
with its flow. Some examples of the album’s shifts in direction? The
sudden bursts of drum-machine blast-beats and the eerily calming
jangling guitars in “The Fall of Modern Thought,” and more recent
Skinny Puppy-esque electronic stylings that collide head-on with
crushing metal riffs and sewer-gurgle vocals in the title track.
“Beehive” builds to an eerie chorus in which a buzzing, whiny-voiced
narrator comes to terms with its (de)humanization in a dystopic society,
while “Girl From Mars” is an endearing “ode” filtered through
distorted vocal effects and galloping riffs. The whole album is open to
jazzy digressions and coated with a science fiction-themed gloss. Trilobeth
doesn’t offer much of in terms of a focused style, but its seeming
adaptability and multiplicity are its strengths. It’s a release that
is a musical tribute to our technological and frenzied reality.
[8 out of 10]
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METALREVIEWS.COM
Review by Zadok
How's this for obscure? Umbah
have been slaving away in the British underground for years,
self-releasing twelve full lengths since 1996 without a bit of
recognition from the metal media, and it's only now that I've received a
promo copy of this reissue of 2007's Trilobeth that I've even
heard of them. Pretty much a one-man band, Cal Scott (of the extremely
cult Death Metallers Necrosanct) performs all instruments, and
it's clearly a labour of love from a look at the band's website, where
all of the albums are available to download free of charge. As with many
artists that do this, it's great stuff, and more than worthy of hitting
the donate button to support. I'll admit to not familiarising myself
with all twelve full-lengths, but from Trilobeth it's easy to
hear the genius. Heavily Industrial and electronic, guitars range from
Death Metal chugs to ambient weirdness, and the sheer variety is at once
the album's biggest strength and biggest weakness.
This is quite a trip,
melding the chaotic bludgeoning of Meshuggah with the Industrial
soundscapes of Skinny Puppy, but anyone who has heard examples of
Industrial Black Metal will find familiar sounds too, Umbah
having shades of Wolok and Blut Aus Nord. The focus is
Death rather than Black, however, and more like the Ulcerates and Gorguts of the scene than the
Deicides. Each and every
track is different, making for a difficult album to get to grips with -
some songs will have elements of one aspect of the band's sound, others
go in a completely different direction. It's well-played and very
cleverly composed, however, and if you're willing to give the music the
time it needs, this is a rewarding album. Take opener The Fall Of
Modern Thought as an example, weirdly psychedelic guitar tones
zooming from ear to ear before the (extremely well-programmed) drums
kick in, almost breakbeats beneath the spidery guitars and twisted
vocals. It briefly launches into blastbeats and torrential riffage, but
is never happy when the listener isn't off-balance and reeling at the
strange sounds invading, as they soon do in strangely Tech-Death
fashion.
The closest comparison
I can make is Dødheimsgard after an overdose of psychedelics,
allowing their sound to sprawl in all directions rather than point in
one. Horon Vakel spends time following electronic threads to
their natural conclusions with sudden bursts of soloing, Beehive
is driven more or less fully by electronics, clean vocals making for a
Goth-induced track that is surprisingly catchy, and Beryllium Crisis'
meandering twangs and dread-filled distorted vocals build up the tension
until the song just suddenly stops, leaving you hanging. The heavier,
almost Grinding Sheep Of Sad Fate brings The Berzerker to
mind, but it's a very different sound to the Aussies, and you'll forget
all about it when the following A Happy Story turns to pastures
more commonly associated with old Mudvayne. Of course, it's
better than anything from the thankfully forgotten LD.50, but the
comparison will probably be enough to put some people off. Rest assured,
this is far from Nu Metal, sitting firmly in metal territory as melodies
flow over each other and rhythmic surges pound and pulse.
Pleasingly, the album
gets weirder the deeper into it you get, from the out-there time
signatures and Goregrind vomiting of A Little Uneasy to throwing
classical elements into the mix on Mesoria A Larkara. It's really
one of those peculiar records than only fans of a certain style will
bother hunting down and checking out, and it's a shame, as any
open-minded metalhead who enjoys his music with a hefty dollop of mental
on the top will find much to appreciate here. The finest accolade I can
ultimately give Umbah is that the band will still be playing its
unique style in ten years' time, whether you check it out or not -
driven wholly and purely by love of the music, Cal Scott is a hero of
the underground, and deserves all the attention and praise that he's
survived so long without.
[82 out of 100]
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ABSOLUTE ZERO MEDIA MAGAZINE (azm-magazine.blogspot.com)
Review by ABZ
This is a very cool avant
sci fi / post black metal journey you don't hear these two mixes of
sounds very much . Mix Thorn. Satyricon and Immortal with Voivod, Ayreon
and Oxiplegatz for good measure and you have UMBAH. There are very
Industrial moments where bands like Fear Factory or Blut Aus Nord. This
is a very difficult listen if you do not like this very over the top
style . It will sound like electronic noise or musical overload. I
really love the chaos and almost all lost of control and letting the
sounds just over wash and rule the day... There is something very Samael
about this band at times to esp the mid period Samael stuff. Umbah does
going into some KMFDM, SWANS, SKINNY PUPPY moments as well and it all
works so well. I know that I Voidhanger label is part of AMTF and you
know how much I love what there doing this one if not the most
interesting indie label out there today... Hydrahead, Southernlord and
Moribund as right up there as well. This is just a mind numbingly
powerful release and will keep me on my toes for weeks if not months to
come...
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AVANTGARDE-METAL.COM
Review by Suleiman
The
man's proficiency knows no bounds. He is back with another amazing
release, and to boot it could be his best work yet. Taking the bizarre
twisting industrial extreme metal sound from his previous albums, Cal
morphs it into a thing of dystopian beauty. This is musical insanity in
its truest form.
I will now dissect some of the album's hi-light tracks to try and get
your feeble brains to comprehend the genius at work here.
A Zen Horizon - References some older Umbah material, but manages to be
disturbing in its minimalism, which lends the occasional strange samples
and
the eerie background synths even more potency. The vocals are mangled by
multi-stage processing in places, and the song structure will make most
metal musicians weep blood. Strangely, despite the complexity, the main
motif sticks like glue.
Beehive - This could be the lead video single in a world where MTV stood
for Masticating Teleportation Visuals. A massive track that shows Cal
sculpting an insanely catchy tune, with some dark twining riffing and
synthy rhythms that explode into rage and similarly back and forth.
Great sense of timing and in no time this will have you shouting 'I
think its a robotic beehive, I think Im only human left alive.' If there
was any justice in the world, this could break into more mainstream
metal since its the closest thing to accessible on this album, while
remaining very much an Umbah song.
Mesoria a Larkara - Continuing this new-found vitality of fresh sounds,
this sounds plain epic, and veers into sympho-metal territory (if the
orchestra was conducted by Skinny Puppy). It rips through the heart of a
million bands pretending artistic integrity via a couple of violas. The
juxtaposition of discordant stop start riffing, rich synths, insane
screeches, beautiful piano runs and squeaky violas will leave you
breathless. I was thinking of Umbah progressing but did not expect this.
Wow!
Sheep of Sad Fate - More upfront brutal than the other tracks, this
shreds in classic Umbah style, but gain it has a doomy underbelly to the
lightning fast grind death framework. Riffing is top notch all the way.
And what is it with the drums? In most places it sounds like someone is
actually playing/bashing a drumkit instead of programming it. This guy
just rips apart digital drum programming. The atonal riffing layers
attack and slay yet remain faithful to the song, and the outro is
absolutely nuts, with the haunting sounds and funky drums.
Trilobeth - The heaviest song on the record, and an absolute head
smasher of a track. The soundtrack to a mad alien-cyborg killing spree,
this once again raises the bar for death metal, with its aggression,
guitar work, structure and vocals.
To a Somber Place - A soundtrack to a non-existent 70's euro-art
thriller, with some very authentic tones and textures. Takes cues from
jazz and avant garde classic and takes it to new heights.
Torn Again - More overtly industrial than some of the other tracks, this
is a disturbing looping morphing slice of insanity. Imagine Skinny Puppy
and Controlled Bleeding jamming, and take it from there.
The tracks I have not mentioned are just as awesome, and it is hard to
choose a favourite. In a nutshell, if you are already familiar with
Umbah, prepare to be pleasantly surprised at the evolution, and if you
are not, prepare to have your socks blown off and brains melted. As ever,
the whole thing is available for free download at http://www.umbah.co.uk/cybergrind/mp3z.htm
I actually feel guilty for downloading it because it blows most of the
albums I paid for out of the water. This is further proof that the best
avant garde metal is still being created in the darkest recesses of the
underground, and has little to do with monetary concerns.
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METALREVIEW.COM
Review by Chris Chellis
Umbah must have one hell of
an odd story to tell because this is actually the band’s 11th studio
album according to quick but efficient research, despite myself or
anyone I know ever having heard of them. And this isn’t even the
band’s most recent album. That would be Aradrolos, released
last year. So what gives? Who are these oddballs and what can we glean
from their under-the-radar but considerably lengthy career?
It’s made pretty clear from the outset that Umbah is the epitome of a
“project.” People come and people go, but Umbah remains Umbah. This
is the kind of group that is bandied about as a quote unquote collective,
with only one member being a constant contributor. Perhaps the artsy
fartsy aesthetic is warranted in this case. Gargled vocals and
Sigh-esque WTF transitions decorate this industrial death metal album
like sprinkles on a third-grader’s cupcake, the product of a people
less concerned with order than overwhelming the senses. There’s more
going on here than most could handle, that’s for sure.
The more adventurous listener will find enough to like on Trilobeth.
Riffs twist and turn quicker than a Tim Hardaway crossover. Genres meld
to the point where distinguishing them becomes a pointless task. The
general ambience is not unlike Buckethead shredfest meets Sigh synth fun,
all with a death metal overtone. It is quite the production. I would be
lying if I said I wasn’t impressed by how together it sounds given the
chaos. Unfortunately the novelty can wear a bit thin and by album’s
end you’re not sure what song you like best because it was a pretty
big blur.
[6.2 out of 10]
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METALLIZED.IT
Review by Lynda Giacomello
Eclettismo,
intelligenza, audacia, ed estro infinito. Basterebbero queste parole per
definire la proposta musicale targata Umbah, che
poi altro non è che una studiata e affascinante one man band inglese,
la quale, sotto la guida del geniale Cal Scott (già Necrosanct e
Microcosm), sfodera questo re-release di Trilobeth, opera del
2007, dopo una parentesi produttiva di ben diciassette anni.
Per i neofiti, riassumo brevemente: il progetto Umbah
nasce nel 1990 a Brighton, in terra d’Albione, ed ha al suo attivo ben
tredici lavori, tra cui cito, secondo il mio personalissimo gusto, Solaris
(1997), 7 Days of Horror (2000), e Alien Beauty (2005).
Nonostante i cambi di formazione, il monicker rimane lo stesso,
sfornando (e bisogna dirlo!) con una impressionante produttività un
full lenght dietro l’altro, affinando il proprio sound in una
direzione che non è certo facile e possibile dimensionare come
experimental death metal.
Gli Umbah amano definire il loro genere cyber grind: uno stranissimo ma
riuscitissimo mix tra industrial, avantgarde e grind è infatti quello
che suonano, riuscendo a creare mirabili ponti e collegamenti tra bands
come Nine Inch Nails, KMFDM, Laibach, Marilyn Manson, Katatonia e che
rappresentano il loro bagaglio d’ispirazione.
Certo è che (lo dico subito) volendo essere precisi, ci sono talmente
tante stratificazioni e influenze che sarebbe una grande sfida citarle
tutte: Fatboy Slim, addirittura gli Underworld, ma anche echi della new
wave britannica, racchiusa in alcuni passaggi alla Julian Cope.
Detto questo, Trilobeth potrebbe apparire un album indigesto: ebbene,
non lo è affatto. Perché, quando si è capaci di scrivere buoni pezzi,
brani che funzionano, quando si ha veramente qualcosa da dire come ce
l’hanno gli Umbah, penso sinceramente che non ci siano barriere
musicali, e le definizioni, le etichette, gli inquadramenti, lasciano il
tempo che trovano.
Prendete ad esempio un brano come Torn again: è una song
elettronica stratosferica, easy listening, quasi di cellulosa e molto,
molto riecheggiante, per l’appunto, Fatboy Slim oppure Moby; stesso
discorso per Subconscience Function, capace di rimanere in testa
per ore, con un arrangiamento lineare ma davvero contagioso.
L’altra faccia della medaglia, l’altra parte di Giano bifronte, è
caratterizzata da brani molto più crudi, veloci e violenti, come Sheep
of sad fate, Beehive (squisitamente Trentreznorniano!),
mentre To a somber place e la title track sono indubbiamente
orientate verso un sound ancorato al death metal, anche se proprio Trilobeth,
a ben vedere, rappresenta una sorta di delirio, ossimoricamente
cristallino nella sua intenzione.
Ribadisco il fatto che, nonostante i salti di genere e l’apparente
mancanza di coerenza tra un brano e l’altro, un filo conduttore
tuttavia c’è.
Al di là della già citata bravura compositiva, gli Umbah puntano
infatti anche sulle lyrics, ad opera di Sokaris, Suleiman e Shamanek:
paranoia, ribellione al conformismo, inquietudine, a metà tra James
Ballard e Pigreco-Il teorema del delirio o Eraserhaed di Lynch.
Un album da avere.
[85 out of 100]
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ROCK
HARD ITALY
Review by Alessio
Oriani
Gli
Umbah sono il progetto solista di Cal Scott, formato all'indomani dello
scioglimento degli storici Necrosanct nei primi anni '90. Da lì in poi,
Cal è andato avanti occupandosi di tutti gli strumenti e con l'ausilio
di una drum machine ha già sfornato una dozzina di album autroprodotti,
di cui Trilobeth è cronologicamente il penultimo. Lo stile è un
mix altamente dissonante tra avantgarde death e black metal, industrial
ed elettronica, che può essere paragonato ad una miscela che - tra i
tanti - include i Dodheimsgard di 666 International, i Thorns, i
Satyricon di Rebel Extravaganza, gli Angst Skvadron, i Berzerker dei
primi lavori, i Gorguts di Obscura, i Samael di Passage ed i Voivod del
periodo più alieno e sperimentale. L'appoccio risponde ad un puro
individualismo senza limiti, sulla scia degli Oxyplegatz di Alf Svensson
(ex At The Gates), dello Special Defects di Fredrik Thordendal (Mehuggah)
o di Sacrifist dei Praxis (l'accoppiata Bill Laswell/Buckethead),
concatenando sperimentazioni in ogni direzione e commistioni inedite tra
generi, unite ad un concept ed atmosfere cibernetiche. Un delirio di
onnipotenza caotico e dispersivo, ma senza dubbio interessante, che
purtroppo soffre per una produzione inadeguata a tale varietà
stilistica.
[7 out of 10] [April 2010 issue]
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HARDSOUNDS.IT
Review by Francesco La Tegola
Sembra una legge matematica:
meno prestigioso e danaroso è il label, più è alta la qualità, o
quantomeno l'originalità. Nel caso degli Umbah, che l'etichetta e la
produzione nemmeno ce l'hanno, sentitevi autorizzati a ragionare per
transitività. Definire eclettica la proposta del one man band
britannico sarebbe riduttivo, come lo è la stessa autodefinizione
"cyber grind". In realtà non è un unico stile a dominare in
'Trilobeth', che è capace di offrire piccole perle di elettronica a là
Fatboy Slim come "Subconscience Function" o "Torn
Again" per poi passare a cose come "Beryllium Crisis",
che fanno inevitabilmente pensare ai Nine Inch Nails ma in particolare
alla loro creatura più famosa, Marilyn Manson. Il mood, le linee vocali
e i samples mansoniani li ritroviamo anche nella marziale“Beehive”,
mentre per il resto del disco si viaggia piuttosto spediti con il Death/industrial
di Cal Scott, scleri dello stesso permettendo (la title track per
esempio). In generale, possiamo dire che il sound della prolifica band
è un tuffo nella fantasia elettronica (e malata) di Scott, che non
riesce a restare nemmeno per trenta secondi di fila nei confini del
tradizionale, che sembra aver scatenato un violentissimo cyborg che si
è avventato nelle carni di un metallaro in carne ed ossa, lacerandolo
in parte per poi incastonarcisi e formare un unico essere metà uomo metà
macchina. Non siamo a conoscenza del passato e del presente della band
(questo disco risale al 2007, intanto ne hanno pubblicato un altro) però
un album come 'Trilobeth' non lo si può ignorare assolutamente. Puro
delirio elettronico.
[80 out of 100]
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FUNERALRAIN.NET
Review by Dustin Ekman
This is some
kind of strange. It’s death metal, but it’s also so much more.
There’s electronic elements, black metal, nü-metal, Tool-esq moments
and time changes, and wicked riffs all over the place. It’s a
smorgasbord of everything there is to listen to in the metal world.
It’s just so fucked up that I can’t help but listen to it over and
over, and still I’m finding new things inside that I never heard
before. If you love the avant-garde, industrial metal, or just strange
shit, give Umbah’s new ODD-yssey Trilobeth a listen.
[9 out of 10]
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SOLAR
IPSE
(solaripse.blogspot.com)
Review by Loris
Archiviata l’esperienza
Necrosanct, Cal Scott decide di fare tutto da solo: aziona una drum
machine e suona lui il resto degli strumenti. Non è dato sapere se
questa scelta sia un modo di vivere la musica senza mediazioni o una
semplice necessità pratica, certo è che “Trilobeth” tiene desta
l’attenzione fino all’ultima traccia. Strutturato a ridosso di
traiettorie ferali care ai Dodheimsgard, l’album conduce attraverso
nebbie industrial, arricchendosi di quel sinfonismo imperioso che
espleta la vera natura del progetto: un raggelante climax futuribile in
cui l’ateismo di tutti i colori è la regola per non soccombere…
Musica di ampie vedute, o meglio, vero spirito di ricerca
interdisciplinare. Un altro bel colpo portato a segno dalla giovane I,
Voidhanger records. Avant(i) così!
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RUMORE
[June 2010 issue]
Review by Stefano Cerati
Che
ci crediate o no gli Umbah del polistrumentista inglese Cal Scott
sono al tredicesimo album con Trilobeth, avendone pubblicato uno
quasi ogni anno dal 1996. Difficile descrivere la proposta del nostro.
E’ un death grind in salsa industrial. Chitarre sporche e sature si
attorcigliano a spirali elettroniche feroci ed apparentemente caotiche
ed una voce simil Marilyn Manson in acido. In quest’album si mischiano
i suoni radicali di certa techno hardcore con i riff più ringhianti e
sozzi del metal. E’ musica astratta fatta quasi di detriti sonori, ma
con un suo filo logico ed anche linee melodiche e perfino ballabili.
Ricorda certo crossover tra il mondo elettronico e quello metal degli
anni 90 (KMFDM, Pitchshifter, Atari Teenage Riot), ma alla base c’è
uno spirito punk libero ed anarchico
[7 out of 10]
