.click. combine a variety of influences and manage to construct and oddly textural mix of aggressive aggro metal that although may at one point have been inspired by the usuals like Korn and so on, has evolved a bit beyond those humble beginnings. There's shades of groups like Nothingface and other new metal heavies, but there's also a satisfying burst of melody in place, possibly comparable to Spineshank, while there is also ample amounts of programming and synth tones used to create something almost Deadsy like.
Vocally the album is filled with a soft wail that warmly spreads itself over the combustible song structures with an almost creepy timid restraint. The focus is put more to melody rather than savage outbursts and rarely does it break character, although there are a variety of backing vocals mixed in that differ in tone and range and heighten the key points of the songs. Guitars are steeply footed in electronic overtones and have a wispy ambiance as they slowly float in and out before kicking in with bottomed out downtuned riffs that gouge and claw for the listeners attention. Meanwhile, bass wise the material seems inherently assertive as low tuned percussive hits throb underneath the high end, catapulting the songs forward with a mechanical progression and calculated rhythms. Percussion differs between triggered and organic, cutting a thin line man and machine with riotous kick drum hits hammering out relentless fiery bursts of double kick drenched thunder or dead on cold beats that provide a thin yet focused advance.
Musically the demo is sound, there's solid musicianship in place and the energy is conveyed accordingly and although there may be a few times when the lyrical patterns can subtlety suggest a few other bands, overall they manage to establish their own identity. Oddly enough though, the guitar riff on the first song in particular, "dE:construk ting myself for you" sounds suspiciously similar to the track "Front Of The Line" by other DC area favorites, SEV. That being said, there's a few things that could be worked upon to take the band to the next level, the first of which could be a more colorful inclusion of the electronic elements. Although they are satisfying at their current level, they could definitely be brought to the forefront and easily help assemble a richer sound. Another thing that can kind of drag down the tracks is the relative lack of buildups or song direction as a whole. Although they do exhibit depth and showcase various structural changes, they rarely feel as though there is a drastic dynamic change or shift of emotions and rather begin to occasionally drone on. .click definitely play up their role as music from the future but it's not something that's completely unheard of and is instead essentially a evolved breed of the new metal sound. But it's not completely flawless or near its full potential yet so it looks like it's going to take a few more blueprints before its something that completely "clicks".
(3.5 / 5)
