Cassini – Cassini
Self-released (2010)
Rock / Alternative / Progressive metal
From its thundering outset, Cassini’s self-titled debut doesn’t let you mistake its intentions. With the chops and knowhow to back it up, the band fires you through forty minutes of intelli-alt-metal full of snarling riffs, howled vocals and shuddering bass lines with just the right amount of radio-friendly accessibility.
Cassini’s sound is held together by the solid foundations of their machine-gun-wristed drummer Richard Kirk, who manages to keep everything nice and tight whilst rattling the ears to submissive dust with beats and fills that would make a lesser percussionist weep. Punching through this backing battery is some slick bass work, provided by Niall Thomas, that clings to the beating pulse at the heart of each track like glue. The exploits of Mark Coleman and Matt Leon on guitar knit together into a dense, overlapping tapestry of clawing, biting distortion and crystalline highs that screech and wail through the band’s deep, layered tracks.
Along with the soaring vocal talents of James Lascelles, the five piece sound as one, working as a singular, shifting unit, pumping out intricate, well honed tracks with just enough flair to take off and fly. Each and every song feels well crafted and thought out, as though built on brains rather than brawn, and you’re never left hanging, in terms of writing direction or structure. Under a healthy veneer of accessibility, these are eight tracks of weight and substance.
Production-wise, the recordings are crisp and balanced with a nice, full-on saturated sound that complements the ambitious scale of the music perfectly. The end result promotes the band’s strengths, nailing each instrument into its rightful place in the mix and making for an epic, grand sound.
But problems are present at times. There is an obvious A Perfect Circle/Tool-centric sound that lingers throughout some tracks that, at times, outstays its welcome; however, the ideas themselves shine through and it’s clear the band have the potential to break out of these initial influences and onto fertile pastures new with added flair and personality.
Tracks that deserve a special mention are the head nodding, should-be-a-single “Target”, “The Sleeper” with its thumping, stomping drive and the slow burning, ethereal “Neuropil Collapse” that builds and breaks into a dirge-filled but delightful full stop to the CD.
As a first release by an unsigned act, this is a great piece of work that will hopefully grant Cassini the oxygen they need to grow, prosper and catch fire. The album is available online from their Web site, along with two remixes, and is definitely worth checking out.
