006. Tellusian - Collision CD/LP

Collision!

During ten tracks, in under 26 minutes, Sweden's TELLUSIAN brutally assault listeners with a no-filler approach to progressive metal that seamlessly borrows from mathcore, sludge, and grind with their debut LP, Collision. These ex-CROWPATH members have combined off-kilter rhythms, thick, warm bass, non-stop riffing, and throaty growls to create something both completely frantic and cohesive. This album is vicious, complex, and unrelenting.


Notes:
First press LP: 320 copies on black vinyl. 200 of the european copies includes the CD in a plain paper sleeve.
CD: 305 copies in letterpressed sleeves by Dexterity Press. 52 copies printed with silver ink (they are also handnumbered) sold via direct mailorder and Tellusian. 253 copies printed with black ink.

Layout and back cover typography by Branko Vranic. Artwork by Daniel Karlsson.

Discography:
split 7" with The Swan King [Hell Comes Home, 2012]
Scania 7" [Pillowscars, 2013]
Collision CD/LP [Pillowscars, 2014]

Tellusian: Bandcamp / Facebook / Collision on Spotify / Collision on iTunes

Reviews:

Aquarius Records
First full length from these Swedish metalheads, after a 7" we reviewed a few lists back that kicked our asses, and like that 7" Tellusian, featuring members of late great grinders Crowpath, while still plenty grindy, are way more melodic metal, and it totally suits them. The songs heavy and furious and fast, but crazy catchy, epically hooky.

A long time ago, we reviewed a grind comp, and on it, a seriously sick grind band did a cover of an old track by pop punks Propaghandi, a it was the best, an impossible fix of incredible poppiness, and frantic heaviness, and we remarked, how come bands don't just SOUND like that, it's only when a band is doing a cover of another band, but that's the first thing we thought of when we heard these guys, and this record especially, it's exactly THAT, a super heavy grind metal band, not at all afraid of melody, who manage to merge those two elements seamlessly, without taking away from either.

Check out opener "Rivalry", a sub two minute blast of everything that makes these guys so great, frenzied lightning fast riffing, impossibly chaotic mathed out drumming, loads of metallic chug, but killer harmonized guitars, crazy catchy melodies, a little churning downtuned doom, and heck even an extremely brief bit of (very) surprising almost funk bass, literally a second or two, before it's right back into the chug and churn. And it continues like that, dizzyingly flitting from tangled math metal, to churning metallic grind, to soaring melodic epicry, and usually some killer mix of all of those. But for a metal/grind band, the melodies and arrangements are pretty goddamn stunning, and the sound not as grind or metal as you might expect, instead, almost like a metallized noise rock band, or a super heavy, slightly grindy math rock band, so much so, that with a slight tweak, even with a proper clean singer, it would be a whole different kind of band, but as it is, Tellusian deliver some seriously addictive, and ultra catchy pop flecked, melodic grind metal, that KILLS, and that we've been listening to pretty much nonstop since we got this in. WAY recommended!


Axis of Metal
Spun countless times in the past week, I still fail to recall a single riff. That there is so little in the way of a catchy component to their material is, however, less problematic than you would normally expect, as it is instead the tone to the proceedings that sinks into your mind. Meandering with the crisp technical noodling of those early works of Baroness and Mastodon and hopped up with all the furious energy of grindcore, it manages to balance that thick sludge tone with an intensity that few find themselves capable of. Only Incoming Cerebral Overdrive seem to manage to have impressed this balance between atmosphere and technicality in recent years; only Greenmachine spring to mind as another example of a decent blend between sludge and grindcore, making this a somewhat uniquely bludgeoning experience.

Born from the ashes of progressive/grindcore act Crowpath, the direction taken here shares certain similarities but is altogether a breed of it’s own. With most tracks failing to reach the three minute mark, what this short album lacks in length it compensates for in replayability. Each track is so jammed with a hyperspeed progression that a lesser artist would try to expand into tracks twice as long. Thickly they layer on the grooves coming and going in an instant, each one just as tasty as the last. It’s an intricately layered album with both the bass and sole guitarist complementing one another; the former laying down a thick rhythmic groove for the latter to shred and sweep on top of, harmonising whilst never finding themselves performing derivative lines that merge into one. The drums, too, retain a surprisingly prominent position as the time keeper and chaos driver, as often heard flailing in a wild fury as he does step back and let the rest of the instrumentation present the anarchy.

The production is simply impeccable at permitting each individual element to have their voice amongst the dense compositions, yet it isn’t just a monument to technicality. Everything is undercut by a sense of melody—a frantic melody, but a melody nonetheless—that prevents it from descending into a cacophony of unadulterated noise. There are blackened tremolo lines and grindcore freneticism of the most furious kind that ramp everything up to it’s most intense, but they complement such moments of carnage equally by slower doom-inspired crunching tones and simpler passages, juxtaposing tempos and tones to keep everything in constant flow and ensuring that it never becomes tiring. In fact, many tracks take influence from outside sources to create tracks with their own unique spin. Tellusion present a steamroller combination of sludge, mathcore and grindcore that collides and decimates everything from the extreme end of the spectrum, flattening it and presenting the remains from their bumper only to hop back in and do it all over again.

8.5/10


Echoes and Dust
I recently reviewed Tellusian’s 7” EP Scania, which left me very impressed and ready to hear their full-length release Collision. First a brief recap. Tellusian is a Swedish band and they are based in the city of Malmö. The band consists of Erik on drums, Henrik on vocals, Robert on bass and John on guitar. The two tracks on Scania impressed me as this band doesn’t play just straight forward heavy sludge metal, they actually incorporate a lot of grind elements, making their sound very interesting and captivating.

Collision has now been released and continues nicely where the Scania EP finished, with 10 tracks full of blistering sludge metal. The grindcore elements are still there, with furious blast beats slapping you around the face, but there is also an extra layer of progressiveness on Collision. Combined with the heavy riffing these guys are onto a complete winner here as far as I am concerned.

The 10 tracks on offer here are some of the most dynamic pieces of music I’ve heard from a relatively unknown band. There are so many smaller bands out there that manage to reach a very high level and standard with their music and people really need to hear these bands. Tellusian is one such band. For a 4-piece, with actually only one guitarist, this band displays a high level of technicality and the tempos changes continuously throughout.

But as said, what adds to Collision compared to the Scania EP is the progressive metal sound. Listen to the short but forceful opening track 'Rivalry', or the bass line in ‘Terminal’, or the progressive start of the final minute of the title track ‘Collision’ before the album finishes in some amazing chaotic sludge frenzy. It is really well-done and performed in superior quality. Listen to this record and you’ll soon find yourself singing along to the catchy melodic chorus in ‘Idiotens Dilemma’. And if you’re interested in a good piece of air drumming then you can prepare yourself to an intense listening session as your arms and legs won’t stop spastically swinging all over the place. At least that’s what happened to me!

All in all, this is a very technical band, with an amazing display in riffage and they deserve to be taken on par with the likes of Mastodon.


Eklektik (in french)
Monté par Henrik Ivarsson et Erik Hall, respectivement chanteur et batteur du regretté Crowpath, Tellusian est un jeune groupe dont l’ambition n’est pas de céder à l’appel de la redite en dépit de claires réminiscences à leur ancien groupe.

Rejoints par un guitariste et un bassiste tout neufs, Tellusian propose dans Collision un metal complexe, enrichi par de multiples influences plus ou moins extrêmes. Une mixture bardée de riffs virevoltants hésitant entre les mélodies et les dissonances, le tout enveloppé par l’énergie du grindcore et le poids du sludge. On pense à Mastodon et aux premiers Intronaut pour quelques ces structures progressives (Saw Collector, Idiotens Dilemma), et forcément beaucoup à Crowpath grâce à ces tricotages de cordes intempestifs, ce jeu de batterie puissant et varié, cette basse groovy parfaitement audible et ces vocalises bien arrachées.

Beaucoup moins hermétique que pouvait l’être Crowpath à l’époque, ce premier album de Tellusian propose une sorte de sludge chaotique, virulent mais très digeste. Même si une prod un peu plus gonflée aurait sûrement apporté plus d’impact au bousin, Collision est une sacrée mornifle (le morceau-titre possède d’ailleurs un stupéfiant final !), amateurs de violence, de technique et de créativité, laissez-vous donc télescoper par ces suédois!


Metalyze (in swedish)
..."Collision" med Malmöitiska Tellusian är för undertecknad en smått märkligt skiva. Den landade som promoinbjudan i feburari (!), och det har uppenbarligen tagit mig stora delar av våren att komma fram till vad fanken det ska stå i denna recension - om jag nu kan anses vara färdig. Oaktat så får det liksom räcka med väntan nu. Och visst, det tog ett tag från inbjudan till dess att jag verkligen började lyssna på skivan, men det är faktiskt inte huvudanledningen till tidsfördröjningen. Det är istället det faktumet att bandets musik knappast påminner om speciellt mycket annat, och jag tycker inte att det är alldeles enkelt att få huvudet runt resultatet. En lekmannabeskrivning skulle kanske lyda progressiv grindcore (!), men då missar man att det finns en allvarsam ton av humor i alltihop, om ni kan få de motsägelserna att gå ihop. Kanske låter det såhär om Napalm Death och Bob Hund bestämde sig för att ha fyllefest i en gemensam replokal och spela in resultatet? En sak är dock helt klar: det blir aldrig enahanda eller ointressant över de 10 spåren, och det tycker jag är ett kvalitetsbetyg i sig när det gäller grindcore. Werockkollega Martin laddade på med en betygsåtta i sin recension, och närapå en reserverad plats på årsbästalistan, men jag har nog inte kommit lika långt i min kärlek till plattan - trots det långa tiden av lyssnande. I alla fall inte än, jag kan konstatera att över dessa månader har jag med jämna mellanrum återvänt för att låta den snurra 1-4 varv, och för varje sådant återbesök så faller det på plats mer och mer. Det är väldigt troligt att du kommer att få läsa mer om skivan i samband med Veckans Tips vad det lider, men det är en annan fråga.

Så. "Collision". Hur är den då? Varierad. Från inledande träffsäkra riffandet i passande öppningsspåret "Rivalry" (för övrigt med väldigt härlig ljudbild), till det läckra basspelet (signerat Robert Fuchs) som ligger som en åtta runt hela "Wolf In Sheeps Medecine" till stränggnidandet i "Idiotens Dilemma", komplett med black metal-vibbar, så innehåller skivan så många snygga detaljer att det är nästan löjligt. Det gäller dock att hänga med i vändningarna, för man kastas mellan rens och tungriff på att ibland nästan halsbrytande sätt. Bandet är resoluta, och jag gillar hela insatsen. Gitarristen John Rönnerblad gör ett vackert jobb att som ensam strängbändare lyckas befinna sig lite överallt med sina riff, och tidigare nämnda Robert Fuchs utgör med sitt basspel tillsammans med trummisen Erik Hall ett jäkla bra fundament för dessa utsvävningar. Sångaren Henrik Ivarsson kompletterar och kanske kanske är det i hans verbala uttryck som jag fångar upp lite av den där galenskapen? En kant som sticker ut? Med andra ord - Tellusian "Collision" är en galen skapelse som bygger på genuin kvalitet. Faktiskt. Och trots att det ju är grindcore, som jag kanske inte har som absolut favoritgenre, så håller det mig intresserad hela tiden...även om det nu har tagit mig dessa månader att faktiskt komma fram till det. Undrar hur det slutar om ett par månader till?

Du hittar skivan på Spotify, och det enda tips jag kan ge är väl att du ska ge det just tid. Ja, och att kanske börja med "Rivalry" eller "Idiotens Dilemma" som jag nog tycker är de bästa (och mest lättillgängliga?) spåren. Roligast döpta är kanske "The Saw Collector" eller "In The Wake Of Circuses And parades", men det är ju en annan femma. Betyget då? För min del - tre. Med mersmak. Så får vi se om jag vill göra avbön senare och höja det...

Tellusian "Collision" - 3/5


The Metal Observer
Sweden’s Tellusian was founded hot on the heels of Crowpath’s demise. Crowpath were one of those eclectic bands that garnered a fair amount of attention because of how much different they were than your typical, run of the mill bands. Crowpath’s forte was combing spastic grindcore with progressive song structures, melody and a good bit of leaning towards the mathcore scene with tons of complex riffing. While Tellusian is not Crowpath, there are a lot of striking similarities. Former Crowpath heavyweights Erik Hall (drums) and Henrik Ivarsson (vocals) are joined by Robert Fuchs (bass) and John Rönnerblad (guitars). Prior to 2014, Tellusian has released a split album with The Swan King and a two track EP, Scania. Collision marks the debut full length from Tullusian and is about one of the most apt titles the band could conjure to describe their music.

Collision is all about several styles usually not correlated with each other smashing together into a one fused, cohesive entity that, despite its short length will force you into a state of schizophrenic shock. It’s not that the album drags you through some type of jumbled mish-mash of dissonance and noise, because it boasts extremely cohesive songwriting despite the progressive and ambitious nature of the music, it’s more that Tellusian are able to fit everything, and the kitchen sink, into an album full of one to three minute tracks. Ten tracks; roughly twenty-six minutes. You do the math.

It’s hard to precisely pinpoint what Tellusian are up to, or at least to capture it in mere words. Right from the get go, “Rivalry” quickly cycles between melodic guitar progressions, chunky sludge-tinged riffing from the book of Mastodon and frenetic blasting drums a la Agoraphobic Nosebleed, all the while vocalist Henrik Ivarsson belts out some deep, throaty shouts and growls. “The Collyer Brothers” paces into spastic mathcore territory, with nonstop cyclical guitar riffing and a more tempered drumming style. It’s not all blasting and spastic riffing though, as tracks like “Wolf in Sheep’s Medicine” have a sinister underlying melody and strangely familiar chord progression running through the track which almost sounds like punk at times and the album’s closer and title track, “Collision”, utilizes some cello and well-placed keyboard lines to add some depth and substance during a break from the blasting. The most impressive aspect is how much damn music, tempo shifts and mood swings this album has. There is a lot going on at all times but, somehow, it remains somewhat accessible, at least as far as anything associated with any type grind can be.

Frankly, Tellusian’s formula is one that hasn’t been attempted much before. Fans of the early catalog of Willowtip Records, like Circle of Dead Children, Creation is Crucifixion and Unruh, would probably dig this. I really like the frenetic style of the band and the whirlwind of sounds presented in such a cohesive form. Even though there is so much going on, Tellusian have firmly implanted themselves into a niche market of those looking for grinding progressive metal with tinges of mathcore. I really dig this album, but then again I was a huge fan of Crowpath when they released their legendary Son of Sulphur back in 2005. If schizophrenic shifts from grindcore to progressive metal to mathcore to just plain heavy music sounds like it might be up your alley, by all means track this down. Well done, Tellusian, well done.


Ninehertz
This Swedish force for pissing you off comes from ex-members of the excellent Crowpath. If that doesn't mean much to you, think elaborate and intricate grind with a crusty, erm, crust?

For those of a grind-loving bent, this will be a welcome release anyway but for those not used to the often face-breaking sound that this genre carries, Tellusian may well be a great way of easing yourself in, like lowering yourself into a red-hot bath when you're used to showers.

It's ten songs in under half an hour, ranging from the widdly and highly tech (The Collyer Brothers) to the more straight-up (Wolf In Sheep's Medicine) but all delivered in a raging, yet somehow catchy way. The juddering delivery is like a tour van going over a rough road, making your fave Brutal Truth album skip, but in a good way.

Within two minutes, they accomplish more than most bands attempt in a whole album. It must be rewarding to know how much is rammed into these intense, complex compositions. This is thickened, concentrated grind, not a snare crack out of place, not a vocal expulsion mid-fired. Getting your head round this in one listen is simply not possible. It strides up to you, all prepared rage and knowing exactly what it wants to say, demanding, nay, screaming repeated listens.

There's even room in here, if you can believe it, for a fucking cello. The title track contains low-end string work here combined with some pretty meaty synths that mean it is elevated into a hulking epic to close proceedings.


Sweden Rock Magazine (in swedish)
Det som till en början låter som svängig death’n’roll visar sig vara något mycket mer komplext än så. Den första ledtråden är de underliggande harmoniska slingorna som finns i flera mellanpartier. Tellusian tar ingredienser som progressiva låtarrangemang, riffigt tunggung, jazziga trummor, lite sludge och lite grindcore och slänger ned allt i en smältdegel. Resultatet? En ljuvlig produktion med originalitet och häpnadsväckande låtbyggen trots plattans ynka 26 minuter. På titelspåret har skåningarna till och med lagt in ett stämningsfullt celloparti.

Sångaren Henrik Ivarsson och trummisen Erik Hall spelade tidigare i det tekniska bandet Crowpath och strax efter splittringen 2010 grundade de Tellusian. Även om gruppen har ett punkigt sludge metal-epitet är det här framför allt en teknisk progressiv platta där influenser från både förr (King Crimson) och nu (Mastodon) kan höras. Att ”Collision” endast är 26 minuter är egentligen inte så konstigt eftersom allt är tajt som Satan.

8/10


No Clean Singing
When Crowpath bit the dust a few years ago, the metal scene was poorer for that loss. Thankfully a group with former members of Crowpath called Tellusian exists, and it comes as no surprise that they are likewise a highly talented and forward-thinking act. It’s not the same line-up exactly, as only drummer Erik Hall and vocalist Henrik Ivarsson have carried over from Crowpath. Tellusian’s guitarist John Rönnerblad and bassist Robert Fuchs round out the band. Together, this foursome bring to the table a fresh chemistry and style that meshes perfectly with the remnants of Crowpath to create something that flashes hints of their former sound — while simultaneously sounding like a completely different group overall. Really, the biggest similarity is the unique way in which they skillfully draw from so many kinds of metal to create their own recognizable style, which sounds like no one else.

Collision takes shape from a dense re-combination of various styles sewn together in a variety of different ways to create a destructive force that thrives on a counterbalance of melody enhanced by progressive experimentation. The core of Tellusian’s sound lies within technically adept sludge, with their use of off-kilter leads amidst heaving grooves coming across in a way that reminds of both The Ocean and Mastodon. Interspersed throughout their high-quality sludge antics are a smattering of death metal, shards of black and thrash, and grind–inserted in whatever way best suits each song and particular moment, for transition purposes and to build and release tension expertly.

This leads to interesting collisions (pun and no pun intended), such as the opener “Rivalry”, which surges with a grindcore energy, highlighted by hints of thrash under jolting leads and a supporting stomping groove. The next track, and the one we premiered here at NCS, “The Collyer Brothers”, performs a similar merger of sounds, but in a testament to the band’s skill, does so in a totally different way using the same elements.

While it’s often an angry and demented beast, Collision is not purely vicious. Frequent progressive and triumphant moments flicker and then quickly flee — found prominently sandwiched toward the end of “Armour To Paper” in the form of a rising swarm of leads that shoots off into a grind ending to confuse you. These lighter textures emerge once more in the cello and synth build-up of the title track. Another pops within the ascending blissful culmination of “The Saw Collector”. The restrained swirling opening to “Idiotens Dilemma” showcases yet another momentary prog flirtation, before Tellusian delve once more into the chaotic duel between sludge and grind.

It’s worth mentioning that when the band yield to their progressive inclinations, rarely is it “logical” or at the crescendo of a song. Usually these instrumentals are used as transition points that segue into grind afterwards. I love how they do that. Tellusian give you something delicate for just a moment and then run immediately forward into destruction without looking back. They keep the song length on Collision short and sweet, with nary a track reaching the four-minute mark. But it’s how much they pack into their divergently expanding songs that’s impressive.

Whoever mixed the record did a phenomenal job, and one of the best examples of this is the warm tone and punch given to Robert Fuchs’ killer bass playing, which is audible throughout. He frequently adds a nice counterpoint and is easily heard bouncing around exuberantly in the mix — though sometimes he does fall back into deadly thick low-end support, following the guitars during their sludgier parts.

Meanwhile guitarist John Rönnerblad flays with a meaty tone, his superb quirky lead work following in quick pursuit. While most have heard Henriks’ vocal insanity in Crowpath, he sounds throatier, nastier, and altogether more pissed-the-hell-off here. He expells shrieks, groans, and roars as if he were an animal being prodded cruely into an uncontrollably violent state. He wrote some darkly poetic but not contrived lyrics in Crowpath, and has done so here again on Collision. The man has an introspective and grim way of putting things and the lyrics are an essential read that paint vivid pictures in your mind and enhance the music.

Of course, the band wouldn’t be complete without the absolutely crushing and complex drum-work of Erik Hall. As I found out in an interview, Erik wrote the music in Crowpath and then the guitarist would come up with parts to match what Erik played, which is a sign of Erik’s genius. His drumming on Collision, while not exactly the same as in Crowpath, bears his hallmarks of frequent off-kilter fills and creative cymbal work surrounding frequent blasting carnage. Overall, his playing style reminds me, strangely enough, of Brann Dailor. Also the drum production here is phenomenal, sporting a nuanced human quality that is refreshing in today’s often grating metal drum production.

In today’s metal scene, it takes someone with a truly different approach to sound fresh, and Tellusian are such a band. This isn’t to imply that most new metal is bad, but so much of it still fits neatly within specific styles, or brings in more influences but still ends up lacking an identity of its own. Tellusian, on the other hand, defy categorization and cliches at every turn. Collision is an album stuffed with endless surprises and unpredicatablely structured rewarding music. It’s a calculated ode to creativity that breaks all the rules and in doing so offers up something memorable.


The Sludgelord
Having recently reviewed Tellusian’s excellent 7” entitled Scania, Pillowscars Label have launched their blistering debut full length on vinyl. I have been lucky enough to review this record for your attention today, and what you get for your buck is a First edition of 320 copies on black vinyl. Indeed if you order with the Scania 7", not only do you save a euro, but the record comes with an accompanying CD in a plain paper sleeve. This is Pillowscars no. 006. So let’s get onto the music

Forged from 50% of the blisteringly dynamic band Crowpath, Erik Hall (Drums) and Henrik Ivarrson (Vocals) return with the equally brilliant band, Tellusian. I am uncertain if their name is derived from the latin word Tellus, meaning a citizen of Athens, said to be the happiest of men or as an alternative name for Earth. Guys, help me out here?? What I am certain about, is that there is nothing conventional about Tellusian, they have thrown out the rulebook and created their own standards with this record, and judging by Collision their specialisation pertains to the skill of technical flair and dexterity.

Collision is non conformist. At conflict with generally accepted music algorithms, each independent part (band member), given their symbiotic relationship is necessary to produce this maddening music and yet the equilibrium of the record is tested throughout. This is a bombastic and divergent record but the band ultimately behave as a single organism to create a truly crushing and ultimately fresh musical experience. John Rönnerblad’s chops are slick and technically brilliant; indeed he is a six string acrobatic, playing stunt guitar. Kicking things off with ‘Rivalry’, this band crush from the outset, the chugging refrain of the riffs, are spliced with alternative picking, descending and ascending progressions, using every expanse of the fret board, drums blasting like a flair in your face, shit you even get slapped bass work ala Primus. The dynamics of the band are unparalleled and vocally this is brutal stuff too, with Henrik Ivarsson’s throat ripping delivery perfectly juxtaposed against the progressive brutality of the music. This is intelligent and ambitious stuff indeed.

‘The Collyer Brothers’ does not so much start, but bludgeon, it is a far more mathy approach with a staccato, almost stop start feel, swaying this way and that. Sea sick from the unique motion of the record. Now where is that bucket? What is striking about the band is the ability of the bassist too, with every twist and turn of pace, Robert Fuchs is equal to it and his tone is superb. It feels like the record was recorded live and despite the technical flair, there is a loose flow to the record, like the band is jamming out this divergent monolith. Yes it is complex, but it has an infusion of jazz and funk too. Making the record well rounded and very balanced, despite the chaotic vibe.

‘The Saw Collector’ starts with a rapid drum fill, keeping things simple with the guitars, with what seems like a sliding note phrasing and this is used throughout the track. They bring things up a notch with twin guitars adding much needed crunch. Strikingly, blast beats are used throughout the track, and it is not long before the chugging riffs are back, bringing extra ‘weight’ to proceedings. It is not as chaotically bombastic as the tracks before, yet it is still gonzo Hunter S Thompson shit. ‘In The Wake of Circuses and Parades’, reminds me very much of the same phrasing as ‘Rivalry’, the ascending /descending progressions are there and will make even the most hardened shredders salivate. The opening is frenetic; it is down toned low end with much more calculus style alternative picking on offer too.

Rarely has there been a record where, words fail me and I have only given you a taste of what is in store for you on this record, yet the more intricate things get, the more I struggle to summarise how brilliant it is. What is apparent however is the application of the compositions are seamless. Tellusian flex their angular muscles throughout this record. Tellusian is a monstrous musical beast, formed from many different elements, yet it is seams structured, albeit in a weird tangential manner. For me, this record is one of the best I have heard this year. If you want to something fresh, innovative and jaw dropping, that incorporates elements of progressive, death, grindcore and sludge metal, then look no further than this monster. Put simply, comply or die!


Teeth of the Divine
If you have ever sat around ad wondered “What the heck happened to Swedish band Crowpath? Those noisy fuckers were one of Willowtip’s best bands?”, your question has now been answered. While only two Crowpath members are in Tellusian, their influence is apparent, but not overwhelming as two other members of this exciting new act balance out the expected Crowpath-ish noise and chaos and the end result is something brilliant and dare I say it- fresh sounding.

What we have here is a more daring, experimental, progressive take on Crowpath‘s blustery chaos (especially vocally). It’s even more melodic and amicable, resulting is something that comes across like the expected Crowpath noise mixed with the jangly, airy grindcore of Beaten to Death and the angular musings of Mastodon. And while only 25 minutes long, it’s brilliant and potentially unlike you will hear in 2014.

While complex and at times plenty discordant in it’s convoluted, shifty metallic throes, there’s this great layer of subtle harmony and uplifting melody buried in all the riffs or via understated synths. But fear not metal head, the gruff vocals, percussion, guitar tone and occasional blast beat ( i.e “Collision”) keep this purely metal, but the prog aura keeps it magnificent.

‘”Armor to Paper” sets the tone right away with a heavy Mastodon vibe then “Bastard Street” shows the band’s more eclectic off kilter, looser, chops before the title track delivers a more blistering direct salvo but transitions into a black blast and psychedelic melding into with “Idiotens Dilema”, the album’s longest track and three and a half minutes. And the balance between metallic chaos and proggy experimental quirk is perfectly done in (“Wolfs in Sheep’s Medicine”) and between tracks (“Rivalry” vs “The Saw Collector”, “In the Wake of Circuses and Parades” vs “The Collyer Brothers”).

But you need to pick this up soon as its a limited LP (320 copies) and CD(305 copies) initial release before im guessing one of the bigger labels comes sniffing around.


Violence Magazine (in polish)
Gdy pojawienie sie albumu laczy sie ze zmartwychwstaniem, sprawa przybiera niezwykle podniosly charakter. Nie jest to byle jakie zmartwychwstanie, bo wiaze sie ponownym zrzeszeniem czesci niezwyklego zespolu, praktykujacego przed laty progresywne podejscie do grindcore’a. Mowa o szwedzkim Crowpath. Ponowna chec tworzenia zaowocowala juz w 2010 swietna ep-ka, czyli chwile po rozpadzie. Nie moglo obyc sie bez drobnych zmian w skladzie, takze nazwa musiala ulec modyfikacji. Jednak na szczescie zaden z tych czynników nie przyczynia sie do pogorszenia jakosci tworzenia niekonwencjonalnego dziela. Teraz przychodzi czas na pierwszy longplay. Panie i Panowie, Tellusian – Collision, by szalenstwo ponownie moglo zainfekowac audio-odbiorniki.

Na pierwszy rzut ucha slychac, ze zamiast chaotycznego rozgardiaszu mamy dopieszczony i wyrazisty dzwiek, grindcore’owa chropowatosc ustapila miejsca progresywnym zapedom. Wydaje mi sie, ze tym samym Tellusian obiera dobry kierunek, zarówno dla formy swego unikatowego charakteru jak i spraszajac oczekiwania milosnikom Crowpath (co do niepowielania dawnego rzemiosla). Wyraznie dzieki temu zostaje oddzielona granica miedzy przeszloscia, a terazniejszoscia.Tellusian Band

25 minut materialu to skondensowany progresive wysokich lotów, opatrzony niekiedy sludge’owym klimatem i przede wszystkim grindcore’owa wsciekloscia. Melodie nie opuszczaja nas na krok, a przelozone na niezwykle skomplikowane struktury nalezycie rozbudzaja motoryke utworów. Nie oznacza to, ze zabraklo miejsca na tlusty blastbeat, bo i jego jest pod dostatkiem. Wszystko przekazywane jest w szybkim tempie, nie ma dluzszych chwil na zastanawianie sie, totez przebijamy sie przez material bez wiekszych utrudnien. Postarano sie tez by przez wykorzystanie róznorodnych technik muzycznej ekspresji sluchacz nie mial miejsca na jakiekolwiek narzekanie. Takie „Idiotens Dilemma” to popis melodyjnych wariacji i opanowanej delikatnosci, natomiast „Wolf in Sheep’s Medicine” to zajrzenie do kart historii i przywolanie do zycia ducha Crowpath. Moze to i nie hiciarski material, lecz skutecznie wdrazajacy sie w pamiec. Ciezko o jakas wpadajaca w ucho wisienke, choc wbrew pozorom jest tu wiele chwytliwych motywów. Dajmy na to rozpoczynajacy album „Rivalry”, fuzja starego i nowego warsztatu, w efekcie dajaca niezwykle ciekawa forme rozrywki. Kolejne „The Collyer Brothers” czy „Saw Collector”, obfituja zarówno w szybkie partie jak i nieco wolniejsze, tym samym dynamizujac rozgrywajaca sie akcje. Podobny scenariusz tyczy sie niemal calego albumu, wielopoziomowy charakter sprawia, ze bez trudu zaglebiamy w sie w szczeliny muzycznej czasoprzestrzeni. Warto zwrócic uwage na spoiwo jednoczace wszystkie numery, optymistyczna aura towarzyszaca od poczatku do konca pozostawia mile wspomnienia, a kazdy powrót do tego materialu wiaze sie z niezwykle przyjemna przygoda.

Crowpath mial to do siebie, ze choc natlok dzwieków niekiedy zlewal sie w niezrozumiala papke, to niektóre fragmenty kraza mi po glowie po dzis dzien, natomiast w przypadku Tellusian zdecydowanie lepiej wspominam ep-ke niz dlugograjke. Mimo tego, jest to niewatpliwie pozycja obowiazkowa wsród tegorocznych polamanców, zwlaszcza, ze Tellusian tak naprawde dopiero sie rozkreca.

4/6


We Rock (in swedish)
För oss som gillade det sorgligt avsomnade malmöbandet CROWPATH är det en sann glädje att det finns ett band som TELLUSIAN. Här återfinns nämligen trummisen Erik Hall och sångaren Henrik Ivarsson som tillsammans med John Rönnerblad på gitarr och Robert Fuchs på bas utgör TELLUSIAN. Bandet har tidigare släppt en split och en EP, bägge två synnerligen lyssningsvärda. Men nu är det alltså dags för fullängdsdebut.

Det som omedelbart slår mig med ”Collision” är ljudbilden. Jag tänker direkt på hur MASTODON lät i början på sin karriär - ruffigt,men ändå med en väl avrundad ton i produktionen. TELLUSIANs musik har flera beröringspunkter med atlantabandets, och detta skriver jag som en synnerligen stor komplimang. En sak som jag uppskattar till max är att man kan höra alla instrument väldigt tydligt - och då i synnerhet Robert Fuchs bas, som i sanning förtjänas att lyftas fram. TELLUSIAN är ett nyfiket band som verkligen lyckas både utmana samt belöna lyssnaren. Jag gillar musik som har tuggmotstånd, utan att för sakens skull vara komplicerad för själva teknikalitetens skull. ”Collision” är en skiva som är progressiv i ordets allra bästa bemärkelse.

Här finns ett fullödigt driv i spelet - Erik Hall på trummor har skapat, precis som i CROWPATH, magiskt förträffligt lir som ligger och balanserar på rätt sida gränsen av meckighet, men som också bjuder på ett fantastiskt sväng. Lyssna gärna på Wolf In Sheep’s Medicine för detta, där trummorna nästan dansar fram, trots att det oftast är fullt ställ. Gitarrspelet från herr Rönnerblad är synnerligen väl anpassat till vad bandet vill åstadkomma - ibland synnerligen väl sammansvetsat med trumliret, men också ofta på fullständigt galna egna exkursioner. Jag tänker fler än en gång på DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN i detta hänseende.

Sången från Henrik Ivarsson är en av de mest mångsidiga insatser jag hört - mannen har en vokal arsenal i den grövre skolan som borde få många andra sångare att bli gröna av avund.

Tydlig inspiration i all ära - TELLUSIAN lyckas med bravur skapa något eget på ”Collision”. Det är bara att gratulera underjorden till ett band som förtjänar att nå väldigt många lyssnare. Och ja, det är årsbästalistevarning på ”Collision”. Så bra är det.

8/10