ALBUM REVIEW: Vengeance – Twelve Foot Ninja
How do you even begin to define TWELVE FOOT NINJA? The metal-fusion Aussies have been steadily becoming one of the most interesting and diverse metal acts ever since they burst onto the scene with their first full-length album The Silent Machine. Known for mixing in a bit of tongue-in-cheek humour, especially in their videos, the band have garnered many devoted fans who love the twists and turns of their manic songwriting style. Their fusion of metal, rock, pop and even jazz has always been impressive, if not divisive within the whole metal community, however. While TWELVE FOOT NINJA are an acquired taste, you have to marvel at their ability to stand out from the crowd. So, with their third release, where do the band go from here? Shoot for superstardom with the masses or keep hitting hard with their frenetic pace and killer riffs?
Vengeance sees the band not taking either path and ends up with an album that’s full of highs and lows, not quite figuring out which lane to stay in. Opening track Start The Fire punches hard with its huge riff leading the charge. It’s a powerful statement of intent that stands as one of the best tracks on the album. Its catchy refrain, sung by Kin Etik who is one of the most underrated vocalists in the game today, will get lodged in your brain with no trouble at all. His unmistakable tones stand out as one of the highlights on Vengeance, and he has improved greatly with each album.
Long Way Home features an offbeat bounce that is incredibly catchy. The background orchestral elements add some grandeur to the madness. A key feature of this album is the inclusion of electronic noises and synths. The band have gone for an 80s inspired sound that is either prominent like in the title track or subtly featured underneath. Alongside the album, they have also released a plethora of content including a video game, a novel and a comic book. Vengeance the track does sound like a soundtrack to an old Atari classic, but it also stands as the first dip in quality. It’s a decent track but its lacklustre chorus fails to elevate the track to anything but filler. The same unfortunately applies to IDK. It features a sharp switch to an almost swing chorus, but with the foot off the gas throughout most of the song its switch-up doesn’t satisfy like it probably should have.
Shock To The System pushes forward the 80s electronica sound once again to better effect this time around, with a catchier chorus and a verse that could have been penned by JAMIROQUAI. It could be an easy choice for a rock club banger. Sadly it takes a strange turn with a spoken word section that just comes off as odd rather than quirky. Fortunately, this slight lull ends with the truly fantastic Culture War. It’s the heaviest song the band have written and it really lifts the mood with a blast of pure adrenaline. The metalcore riffs, blasts and screamed vocals inject some much-needed life into the album. It’s also home to a crushing breakdown led by a mariachi section you wouldn’t see coming.
Over And Out pairs the band with JINJER star Tatiana Schmayluk, and her and Etik‘s voices match up perfectly. It’s a more straightforward track (well, for TWELVE FOOT NINJA anyway) – a great choice for a single which shows off their talent for writing great rock songs. The album ends on a beautiful note rather than a hectic one, with one of the band’s first attempts at a true ballad in Tangled. It’s a fragile delight that is very unexpected, with lyrics like “tangled in the twilight” dancing over the delicate acoustic guitars. The strings are perfectly balanced underneath, giving the track a push towards heavenly ascension.
Vengeance is a mixed bag. It does feature more pros than cons but it seems to struggle with its own identity like the band itself. Its focus on pushing the djent style riffs into the background in favour of simpler instrumentation means the album loses a bit of spark. Fans of the band will no doubt find something to love however and the 80s electronic elements bring an interesting new direction if they can perfect it.
Rating: 7/10
Vengeance is set for release on October 15th via Volkanik Music.
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