Fractal Generator has always tortured me. 2020 debut Macrocosmos was an affair that I gave a 4.0 to, not because it convinced me of its excellence, but the Sudbury, Ontario trio convinced me of its complete lack of wrongness. I felt obligated to give it high marks because I could not see a flaw, but it did not capture my heart enough to award it a spot at year’s end. The issue was that, in spite of my praises of accessibility, the brutal passage of time found that Macrocosmos operated a relentlessly riffy and punishingly dissonant deathgrind with a surgical precision and faceless sterility that effectively robbed it of its humanity. Four years later we are faced with the forbidden knowledge of its follow-up, Convergence.
Old habits die hard, and Fractal Generator should not let their hard-hitting blend of dissonant death metal and deathgrind die. They’ve always encapsulated crawling Portal-esque dissonant sensibilities and Gigan-inspired sci-fi avant-gardisms – but fed through the Benighted machine. Serocs is a fair comparison, complete with triumphant atmospheres amid blasting tempos, and Convergence finds a newly honed balance and enriched textures that make it feel more like a passage through fantastical alien worlds and unknowable dimensions. It nonetheless lacks that humanity needed to meet us where we are, but Fractal Generator will kick your ass heartily with dissonance and riffs all year long.
Convergence by Fractal Generator
There’s very little reprieve on Convergence, like any good deathgrind worth its mettle. Fractal Generator utilizes thick bludgeoning riffs to make its point, then sorely beating you over the head with dissonant leads, while synths, choral keys, and ambiance peak out amid the towering punishment like curious extraterrestrials. Riffs are the real world-eaters, however, as tracks “Cryogenian,” the title track, and “Obelisk” offer cutthroat insanity and frantic intensity that hit with the weight of colliding stars. Dwelling in warped melodics, “Askesis,” “Ancient Civilizations,” “Xiphoid” and closer “Encephalon” put scathing dissonance and squealing pinch harmonics ahead of chunky riffs, adding greater avant-garde weight to the intensity. Contrary to Macrocosmos, Fractal Generator manages to add honed dynamics, as tracks like “Ciphertext,” “Obelisk,” and opener “Cryogenian” infuse more atmospheric tricks that add greater contrast to the punishment, making them excellent cosmic mile markers in galaxies riddled with brutality. Contrary to Macrocosmos, Convergence is a far denser affair, which fits its more destructive tendencies, as brutal death metal’s familiarly squelching guitar gurgle is far more actualized.
Fractal Generator’s motto is “loud and proud and weird,” and with its scant appearances of wonky atmosphere, Convergence still manages to create something completely alien. While calling the act “the deathgrind Artificial Brain” is fair in theory, Fractal Generator still adheres to its sterile depiction. While the denser production fits the deathgrind a la cosmicism mold, it also creates more of an issue with the audibility of some elements, as tracks like “Convergence” and “Algorithmic Pathways” find leads and snare drowned out in the thicker interpretation, worsened further by abrupt passage and tonal shifts. Perhaps unsurprising, vocals are largely one-dimensional throughout Convergence, relying on a subterranean roar, while bass remains nearly nonexistent.
In spite of its more suffocating feel, Convergence feels far more dangerous than its predecessor, vicious and refined compared to Macrocosmos’ strange blend of organic breathability and sterile precision. Fractal Generator’s sound is unique, its dissonance-on-alien-steroids formula slowly making solar waves in crowded deathgrind and dissonant death. Convergence is a step in the right direction, as it begins to cement its creators as the wrong divine and cosmic forces to fuck with, but Fractal Generator needs a connecting point to its audience beyond alien intensity and otherworldly squelching. Meantime, you can let this trio wreck you with the intensity of a thousand suns with Convergence.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Websites: fractalgeneratorofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/fractualgeneratorofficial
Released Worldwide: June 6th, 2024
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