Behind The Algorithm’s madness is French musical mastermind Remi Gallego. In theory, the mash up of two dissonant genres (electronic and metal) sounds odd, however THE ALGORITHM somehow have it pretty pinned down, with a load of brutality, riffs and heavy drumming mixed in with a lot of electronic leanings.
The Algorithm have always been impossible to pin down to one genre, they’re unique and unusual and certainly nothing like I’ve ever heard before. Their latest release Compiler Optimization Techniques is no different. I’ve always found their past albums hard to dip in and out of, and with previous releases being quite long it can seem a bit daunting to get through. However, this one is compiled of only five tracks with an average of eight minutes per track, which makes quite a change and more time for ideas to be developed rather than being segmented into several individual tracks.
The album kicks off with Cluster, at almost 12 minutes this is the longest tune on the album. It starts with a long synth build up but then kicks in heavily and the madness begins.
Throughout the album the amount of different textures and genre influences can be seen such as in Binary Space which is a personal highlight (and also happens to be the shortest track) and I feel really shows off what The Algorithm are about. It starts off with some brutal blastbeats and has creepy almost ‘evil’ feel throughout, getting more chaotic yet atmospheric as the track unveils.
The lengthier songs mean that each tune is more thought and drawn out, while still retaining the urgency and intensity. Don’t let the fact that there’s no vocals fool you, it’s hard to listen to as background music with some really captivating moments that’ll need your full attention, though I still feel it’s possible to slip through the crack at points.
I almost feel on edge, there’s always so much going on and there’ll be moments where you’ll be scratching your head with confusion asking “what the hell is going on?”, moments where you’ll be headbanging with a dirty bass face and moments where you’ll be in complete awe. Though still erratic and unpredictable to say the least this record feels more refined and should definitely still please long-standing fans of The Algorithm and drawn-in and intrigue new listeners.
Compiler Optimization Techniques is out now.
