3 out of 5

Label: self-released

Produced by: ?

How do you feel about the chugga-chugga-whee hardcore sound? Did you ever wish you could have an entire album of that, and maybe without any obnoxious yelly guy, screaming lyrics over those sweet, chugging guitars?

While it’s pretty dismissive to describe Fractalize as an instrumental chugga-chugga band, it’s also not inaccurate: it’s the undeniable dominant sound on Immersion. But there’s certainly more besides that, pairing the guitars with touches of ambience, or allowing the extreme djentness to slide into flashes of post-rock, or math-rock. None of this is too far afield of that core sound, but it is a rewarding listen over time, as the mix forefronts the razor sharp guitar, meaning additional playthroughs help to open it up, and reveal some nuance intermixed into the bluster. This is especially true as the EP heads into its final tracks, which allow Fractalize to give the riffage some pauses, weaving in moments of silence, or variations to the pace and tone, rather complicated stuff that would set the band on par with your genre kings of time changes and varied arrangements.

However, even these highlights get stuck behind the mix, which severely downplays all of these other elements. Yes, as mentioned, theyre moreso revealed on repeated listens, but then I can only imagine how much more emotional these songs could be with a more balanced riff. Similarly, with no offense meant if we’re dealing with a live drummer, but it might as well be, and maybe is? a drum machine. The band’s tendency to use fast-paced chuggas as percussion means the drums are only there to keep a slow, metronome beat throughout – the same beat throughout – and a little more looseness in that regard would be another great dimension for the band to explore.

These are all cherries on top, though. Fractalize are very purposefully going after a particular sound, and they go after it hard, with guitar sounds scraped from metal and concrete. It looks is the essence of headbanging material; it is cool as heck. It might be limited overall – it’s hard to call the group especially complex – but you cannot mistake them for anyone else, or help but feel like a bit of a badass as they’re chugga-chuggaing through your stereo.