The Binding
Self Titled EP
7.1
Hailing from what's considered to be one of the more brutal and unpleasant places on earth, New Jersey's The Binding have arrived on the scene to give the card-carrying "mathcore" aficionados something to chew on for awhile. Well, at least for 17 and a half minutes.
Providing an assortment of anxious squawks and dexterous instrumentation, The Binding doesn't alienate non-musicians by showcasing a good sense of rhythm and the occasional stripped-down part. The production's ample for this style, as it should be for something recorded by Chris Badami, who has worked with such bands as Dillinger Escape Plan, Burnt By The Sun, and Luddite Clone. I'm rather enjoying this, as just when I feel like I'm being set up for some sort of clean break with emotional singing, it never happens. Same yelling, same sporadic and choppy riffs, just maybe a jarring sludgy break with dischordant sliding, or a melodic hardcore build up. The instrumental, "Addenda", is about the closest it comes to becoming 'soft', but even so, the song is finely executed and leaves a strong impact due to its epic nature. Overall, I prefer the earlier songs, as they have a little more to offer in regards to structure. The others are far from just a chaotic mess, but "Keep Walking, Empty Eyed Man", with its almost southern sounding influence at times, shows a level of quality the rest of the release never seems to reach again. As the EP progresses, the band uses fewer and fewer of the occasional endearing and bouncier sections, and seems to focus more on dazzling the listener with their musicianship.
While I can see this band getting picked up by a larger label and amassing a following, it's going to take more distinction before I'm thoroughly convinced to buy another technical metalcore album. It's like eating an entire dinner of just candy, or forcing a diet of TV dinners on yourself. Great at the moment, but you're still left with this puzzling emptiness in your stomach, caused by your failure to provide yourself with something more substantial. Fans of Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan, Thumbscrew, and Crowpath can't go wrong with picking up this nifty EP.
