The Postman Syndrome
Terraforming

One of the best albums released in the last 7 years, it has remained largely unknown to both the public and critics. A real shame…

The only album released by the 5 guys responding to the name "The Postman Syndrome," "Terraforming," released in 2003, is the paradigm of what it means to be "progressive" in the new millennium. There are many influences that can be found in this album: from alternative rock (Radiohead) to post-hardcore and post-sludge (Neurosis and Pelican), from 70s prog (King Crimson) to a certain type of cerebral and mathematical metal (Tool and Meshuggah), all blended in an engaging manner, in songs rich in tempo and style changes, yet very listenable, catchy, and perfectly "pop" (in the broadest sense of the term). The lineup consists of a singer/guitarist (capable of effortlessly transitioning from normal singing to growl and screamo), 2 other guitarists, a bassist, and a flamboyant drummer.

The songs are divided into 12 chapters, most of them also in 2 parts (as per progressive tradition), even if the sensation is that of being on a single long journey. "Amputees Make Bad Swimmers" opens with calm acoustic arpeggios, supported by the rest of the band, soon transforming into a hardcore outburst and shortly after into a metal ride where clean vocals alternate with heavy growls (and this is just in the first 2 minutes). "Hedgehog's Dilemma" also opens with sunny guitar arpeggios, which gradually grow darker until several tempo changes make the song journey between hardcore and more cadenced parts. The second part is dominated by snare drum rolls, which emerge multiple times throughout the 3 minutes of the song, keeping it from ever becoming repetitive thanks to the continuous rhythm variations. "Schizorabbit and the Face Parade" features in the first part a pounding section dominated by growl, which gives way to the second part, much more varied and never the same within itself, and presents one of the few solos of the album. Less violent and very melodic is "Rotating Cribb Toy", where the alternation between the lead vocals and the choirs further lightens the melody. After the second part (38 seconds of guitar), we face the longest track of the batch, "Unfamiliar Ceiling", over 8 minutes, which slowly unravels through parts with acoustic guitars and violent metallic interludes towards increasingly violent and articulated shores as the minutes pass (note the trumpet intrusion around the 5th minute).

The song most influenced by Tool's atmospheres is "Lonely in Your Arms", where the main role is taken by the singer, who really lets loose with all the shades of his voice, and the drummer, who goes beyond mere accompaniment. Very melodic in the first part of the track is "Interpretive Decorating", while the central part is once again a continuous sound assault with varied and never boring pacing. The 2 parts of "Volume Fact" close the album: the first is just an introduction, while in the second, hardcore and prog arrangements are contrasted, leading up to the long finale where gradually the instruments exit the scene, leaving only the drums at the end.

A real shame that a band with such qualities has disbanded, and especially that the 2 groups formed afterward do not match the level of their predecessors.

RATING = 8.5