Gizmachi - Omega Kaleid (2021) Hi-Res

It seems reasonable to say that not everyone will remember GIZMACHI. 2005 seems like a very long time ago now, and the band's excellent debut album "The Imbuing" never really got the recognition it deserved. This unexpected return after 16 years is unlikely to cause earthquakes, that is, until people actually hear it. With the inspired choice of SOILWORK / NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA frontman Björn "Speed" Strid on lead vocals, "Omega Kaleid" takes all the smart ideas, polyrhythmic mischief and scabrous, left-field melodies that made their debut so engaging and upgrades the lot, ensuring that GIZMACHI are now fighting fit for 2021 and considerably more distinctive and original than most. It is always, as they say, the quiet ones. They are quiet no more, and "Omega Kaleid" skillfully conspires to keep it that way.

The real magic here lies in the way GIZMACHI employ all kinds of jaw-wrenching polyrhythms and fucked-up riffs without ever sounding remotely like any other band, MESHUGGAH worshippers or otherwise. Perhaps a little annoyingly for the band themselves, they were making music this idiosyncratic and skewed 16 years ago too, but somehow it still sounds ahead of the game and yet weirdly timely and accessible at the same time. Not entirely surprisingly, the commanding, charismatic presence of Björn Strid has nudged everything up a few additional notches too, making GIZMACHI's already nails-hard attack even more punchy, brutish and compelling as a result.