Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz | Detailed or mini-review submissions: song, EP/album | Suggest an artist

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Tooms - When Two Worlds Collide |Tooms, 2011|

1. Head Bang / Head Crash, 2. Silence The Colossus, 3. Cutting Faces

Tooms is a British band, established in Newcastle Upon Tyne in 2011. However, the musicians have spent over 10 years in the music industry and in hardcore-metal bands like Upon All (where the guitar player Phil Van D hails from) and Blunt Wound Trauma (of which Idene Roozbayani – vocals, Eddie Liddle – vocals and Karl Pryor – drums were members of). The sound of both bands has had an impact on their collective new project.

When Two Worlds Collide is a demo containing three tracks which overpower an unsuspecting listener with dynamics and crossovers of rage that are underlined by broken electronics reminiscent of jungle or breakcore.
However, it should be noted that such original connections do not cause any dissonance. This manner of songwriting should help Tooms earn acceptance from fans of the above mentioned styles, but does not limit their potential of appealing to a wider demographic. Breakcore (as well as drum'n'bass) has been utilized by bands from the United States industrial scene such as Acumen Nation, while British acts such as Pitchshifter have been smuggling similar ideas into their tunes since the 1990's. It is refreshing to hear these elements of sound that do not seem to be extensively explored or popularized yet.

The opening track entitled “Head Bang / Head Crash” is kept in both hardcore and breakcore moods, with biting vocals from Eddy Liddle and Idene Roozbayani that come across as if they are pointing fingers at the misguided in every little corner of the world. The song is dominated by intensive dynamics that are largely based on guitar riffs, but broken with electronica that is layered either in the background or below the riffs. The guitars are as noisy as machine gun fire, but certainly may be welcomed by listeners who prefer to get jammed by to-the-point vibes or those who are hooked into the rhythm first.

The following song entitled “Silence The Colossus” begins with phat beats joined by flat-spread guitar riffs. This mixture meets with screaming vocals, then carry them away until they lift up like a roller-coaster while a unique tempo slows down until it seems it cannot fall any longer. The tempo then smashes down for a while, until it mildly stops long enough to let the listener switch into a stressless state before going to the next track.

The last song on this demo reminded me of classic visions reflecting the turmoil of Purgatory. It is laden with diabolical vocals and guitar riffs mixed with rough but dynamic electronics. The dominating rhythm and heavy moods in “Cutting Faces” stands out among the rest of Tooms songs. The methods are still harmonic and take the imagination to place where horses run, but from the inside of a twister where the remnants of things rise and tumble, constantly spinning. It is not clear to the listener when this tornado weakens or what direction it moves to next.

Tooms lyrics do not seem to point at specific reasons for aggression, but may mirror some of the every day frustrations faced by fans of music. The compositions are not easy to remember. This is mainly due to the complicated arrangements, but we are talking about non-pop music after all.
It seems that British musicians like experimenting. Thanks to this need to push boundaries there have been a few meaningful styles of music created so far. The sound of Tooms may need a specified label sooner or later because it is not really possible to avoid categorizing. On the other hand, a correct classification will help fans to better identify with the band and improve the possibilities to be found online, either by those researching music catalogs or looking up music social networks and browsing available genres.

Idene Roozbayani along with Karl Pryor wrote and produced the songs which were grabbed from their EP and placed on When Two Worlds Collide, while Thomas McLaughlin mastered the demo. “Head Bang / Head Crash”, “Silence the Colossus” and “Cutting Faces” will be re-recorded and should be released on the upcoming Tooms album near the end of 2011.
The music is original and thankfully not a mixture of popular styles. This may be the formula that will attract several significant followers and drive them towards the bands sound in the near future.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, August 11th, 2011. Proofreading: Scott M. Owens)

Silence The Colossus by Tooms Official

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