Gigan – Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery and Super-Science (Willowtip)
Wednesday, 9th October 2013
Is Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery and Super-Science an album title or thesis statement? And people say there are no smart people in metal…
The third full-length from wacky/astral/wacky death metal composite Gigan, Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery and Super-Science hones in on the innate warped nature of Eric Hersemann’s writing approach. It’s like the gentlemen has no master when it comes to putting together songs, for a batch of these jams are mind-melders, albeit a smidge on the difficult side to lay claim to. But, that’s Gigan’s M.O. – they are good weird. (Because “bad” weird is a drag.)
Anyway, the piles of effects thrown on top of Hersemann’s guitars work to uh, excellent “effect” on cuts like “Beneath the Sea of Tranquility,” where it sounds like the band is recording in a wind tunnel. (Hopefully they all have long hair for added effect.) The song itself is a total death metal workout at nine minutes and change, with a Blessed are the Sick-like pace to push the pendulum. However, it’s the quirky bass flinging of “Electro-Simulated Hallucinatory Response” as well as the spastic “Cosmic Triangular Communications” that jump out the most, especially the latter, which details all sorts of high-wire finger-tapping and a jungle gym rhythm that rivals any crazy time signature Watchtower or Meshuggah has ever tossed out.
Death metal as universally esoteric as Gigan always deserves a hard, long look. Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery and Super-Science might be too beyond the lines for its own good at times, which is why it received the score it did, but still, when faced with a fascinating, always-evolving prospect like Gigan versus the same-old-same-old, little convincing is needed to go with the wacky ones.
