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0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Random Conflict- Escapism LP Review (6/10), 5 Dec 2008
If you've ever seen an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout or any similar cage fight, you will know that they are brutal, bloody and uncompromising. Fighters get pummelled and bludgeoned into the mat until their opponent knocks them out or forces them to submit. Invariably, highlight reels of UFC fights and Youtube compilations of the best knockouts are accompanied by metalcore, because obviously aggressive acts need aggressive music; what better sound to hear as Pedro Rizzo smashes an unlucky competitor's face in, than a huge, rhythmic beatdown? Thus, there should be a notice on Random Conflict's debut album 'Escapism' that reads 'For Best Results, Use As Accompaniment To A UFC Pay-Per-View', because sadly that's probably one of the only ways you're going to get a thrill out of this album.
Formed in 2006 in the fresh and competitive Birmingham scene, five piece Random Conflict's aim was to create their own strain of metalcore using influences such as Misery Signals, Johnny Truant and Down, and to record a sort-of-concept album that was based, in themes and artwork, around the film The Prestige; Escapism is the fruit of their labour. Intro track 'The Pledge' references The Prestige in name (the pledge is one of the three stages of illusionist magic that ends with the prestige) and an audio sample from the film, of Christian Bale breathily intoning "Are you watching closely?". From here on in, the references come in the form of more song titles (and scattered lyrics) such as 'Obsession Is A Young Man's Game' and 'Heart On Sleeve, Head Above Water'. However on 'Knives And Lint' the band stray from the Prestige concept altogether and take a completely different piece of celluloid as inspiration: The Dark Knight. With it's pit-baiting roars of "You're a freak, like me" and the iconic "Why so serious?", Random Conflict clearly delight in sampling the dialogue of the dastardly Joker. To their credit, there are probably few better pre-beatdown mantras than this and it's easy to imagine the two-stepping erupting with furious abandon. All this being said, Escapism is supposed to be about illusionists, not caped crusaders or clown-faced criminals, and the fact that the single most memorable moment on the album diverts from this concept doesn't really help the cause.
One might also hope that an illusion-themed record would be filled with intrigue, surprise and originality too, but alas, there is little to none of that here. Conflict stick to pure, simple, UFC style punishers, packed with breakdowns and hell-spawned growls. Right from the off, the band rip into massive chugging riffs and set up a beatdown less than a minute in. You can almost see the huge blows being traded and noses being broken as the cage fighters battle it out. Nevertheless, who needs another thuggish hardcore beatdown merchant in today's scene? The band could/should have delved further into the concept to create music with an appropriate vibe and equally, used the concept to add weight and value to the music. Their press release states that the band has two vocalists so that they can focus on 'more lyrically intricate' vocal parts, and only one guitarist so that they can 'delve deeper into their own musical creativity, and keep parts more clear and precise'. If anything, it is their lack of a second guitarist that is limiting them. Rather than having two vocalists - one who goes for a guttural roar and one who favours a deathly shriek - why not just find another Trevor Strnad (of Black Dahlia Murder fame) who can do both and invest in a new axeman who will allow them to create more interesting, diverse song structures? True, on tracks 'Obsession...' and 'Escapism', the band do dabble in some meandering guitar textures and odd time signatures, which serve to break up the wall of noise on the rest of the album, but on further inspection these are just an obligatory instrumental and an extended, prog-styled closing track respectively; these can be found on many a modern metalcore release and so they are nothing new. It is a shame that a band with such promise, a great concept and a formidable live reputation preceding them, should fail to deliver a record that meets the high standards set by their predecessors.
Despite these criticisms, by no means is 'Escapism' a bad album. Where it lacks depth and originality it more than makes up for in rough-edged, vicious punishment. The two vocalists sound like they are physically ripping their throats out throughout all 42 minutes, you can practically hear the vocal cords rupturing. Plus, there's more than enough grind and chug for a single guitar's work - perfect for watching Kimbo Slice's fat paw slam into Tank Abbot's ugly mug. Why not try this yourself: go to Youtube, search for 'UFC best knockouts' or something similar, and find a video of adequate duration. Make sure you have the Random Conflict album all ready to go. Then sit back, press play, click the mouse and enjoy. I guarantee you some rollicking good viewing. Just don't expect to get the same feeling from the album once the video's finished. (Kiron Mair)
For fans of; Bury Your Dead, Emmure, The Black Dahlia Murder, Misery Signals, Suicide Silence
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