UNDERDOGS IN THE UNDERGROUND: 6:33 — “DEADLY SCENES”

(Austin Weber reviews the latest album from the French band 6:33.)

Love them or hate them, Mr. Bungle has had an undeniably large impact on the music world. They re-defined progressive music in the modern era by conjoining various kinds of metal with an ever-changing array of other music styles. After their break-up, the members went on to other bizarre and out-there acts such as Fantomas, Tomahawk, and Secret Chiefs 3. It’s from within this branch of oddball musical eccentricity that the French band 6:33 draw liberally on their newly released record, Deadly Scenes.

But upon closer inspection and several listens, it becomes evident that they’ve made some tweaks to this type of Dog Fashion Disco sound, and while sometimes it sounds too close to Mr. Bungle, Deadly Scenes is often brilliantly original. And in addition to playing in the vein of Mr. Bungle, their is a recurring, almost-Devin–Townsend vibe going on that really works in their favor.

All the instrumental performances are wonderful and varied, each member a skilled player flying through numerous styles at a moment’s notice. Organ, piano, and orchestral strings punctuate and pierce the absurdity with a dual ethereal/carnival-esque feel. Then there are the Swiss Army Knife jack-of-all-trades vocals.

Rounding out and adding to the vocals are layered female choral voices and rich singing. Sometimes they are paired overtop his singing, other times they deliver in a manner similar to a chant, and other times they wail eerily overtop.

So, in summation, if you like either Mr. Bungle or Devin Townsend, Deadly Scenes is a must-have, an infinitely rewarding record you will become quickly addicted to!

http://listen.kaotoxin.com/album/deadly-scenes
https://www.facebook.com/6h33official