TALLMAN
Mechanism
Aperture Music
· Junkyard rhapsody.
This industrially inclined quartet has been casting its long black shadow over Toronto since 1999. Combining hard rock energy with dark wave nonchalance, Tallman has forged an individualized identity through serious effort – a well-timed barrage of heavy beats provides the foundation for the band’s steadfast neu-metal renaissance. The first track, "Stumble," shudders with foreboding reverb, recalling Tool’s lumbering hit "Sober" but with a high-tech spit-polish. Whether venting his testosterone-driven rage or waxing melodic and philosophical, J (Jay) Toner’s sometimes stilted vocals have a tendency to interrupt the natural flow of molten heaviness, leaving fellow guitarist Paul Agricola and bassist Andrew Lauzon to kill time by impotently plucking around in the background. When the momentum does get rolling again, Tallman unfurls itself like H.R. Giger’s alien: menacing and imperceptibly complex.
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