It starts out as a simple plucking of strings. A gentle, almost dreamlike swoon carried on a clam cymbal ride and a background hum. Then you wake up and the floating feeling is slowly setting you on the ground. The trans is collapsing and the tempo starts pulsing. The instruments swirl like heat. And then the drums hit.
Seizures are…a lot of things. Difficult to classify but still worthy of squeezing between genres. The Dana Point, CA unit started back in 2010. Their first full-length, Antipathy, was released in 2011 and the band has become relentless since. A split with the excellent Columbian Necktie and now The Sanity Universal. Playing a style that falls between Dillinger Escape Plan, The Carrier and Lewd Acts.
The Sanity Universal is a step in a different direction for Seizures. The band has rode a progressive hardcore/metal approach since their inception but this is taking things in a far more focused direction. Antipathy saw the band kicking up their complexity and putting more spins on songs. Where Antipathy explored The Sanity Universal dominates. Riffs are tighter, melodies are more dreamlike, and the whole experience is epic. Take the track “Kansas” as an example. At times volatile, at others beautiful. The near three-and-a-half minute trip is almost like a mini album on its own with how many different moods it can evoke.
What makes Seizures great is that they're of the few bands besides Dillinger Escape Plan that can cram a ton of riffs into a song and not make it sound like a manged mess. The vicious ocean that Seizures spread out for us is actually more calculated than it initially seems. Songs like “The Draper Project” build riff upon riff and lick upon lick without resorting to something generic or choppy. Though time signatures become flippant in some songs, it's not to annoy. Though it can be difficult to follow upon initial listens.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ukwPRlIG-Y[/youtube]
The scale of The Sanity Universal actually makes it feel longer than it is which really says something given the record's name. The record clocks at about an hour but it feels like you've been through a lot more when all's said and done. The intensity of the songs burns and bleeds into the next. And the moods often carry over, keeping steady with the pace of the album, but it also leaves you wondering if Seizures is ever going to give you a break. And that answer is no. Solace might be found in the slower sections. But the band is so good at whisking you away that you probably won't notice it for long.
Those into very technical albums are likely going to enjoy The Sanity Universal. Some may have difficulty getting into it though. It's worth your patience if you have it. Seizures has built an extremely layered piece here and some people are probably going to feel like they're having their balls busted when listening to it. Such is the price of a band's evolving sound. Seizures should be proud of what they've produced here. Though I'm betting their best is yet to come, The Sanity Universal showcases a band that is focused and has found their approach. The next full-length we get from them is probably going to be out of control.
As always, you can find me here.
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