Formed in 2008, Melbourne five-piece Twelve Foot Ninja have, over the course of two EPs, New Dawn & Smoke Bomb, proven themselves to be a highly unpredictable band; one that absolutely refuses to be categorised or pigeonholed.
Describing their sound as ‘progressive rock’, the soundscape that the band creates really does encompass everything but the kitchen sink.
Name a musical style or genre and it is somewhere within the dense, complex music that Twelve Foot Ninja conjure from within their collective minds.
The first track, “Coming For You” is a case in point. Starting off like a rehash of the nu-metal style made popular in the late 90s by the likes of Korn and Limp Bizkit, it suddenly swings into a Spanish-influenced flamenco style.
While keeping the listener on their toes, never quite sure of what is to follow, listening to Silent Machine can have the effect of disorienting and alienating the listener somewhat.
While the band are to be commended from some brave and challenging directions and choices they make, the overall effect of this debut release is akin to looking through a record collection and picking certain sounds that, while interesting and intriguing, don’t create a unified and cohesive final product.
Accompanying this release is an online comic for each of the twelve tracks on the album. One thing this band doesn’t lack is a sense of ambition and they are definitely not without talent.
While an enjoyable listen, it would be nice if the group learned how to distil their wildly divergent influences and styles into something with a tad more structure.
