There is a mental balancing we must do where we hope for a future where we won’t be ground in the gears of capitalism and also recognize that the combine is riding toward us, a little faster than we’d hoped. The post-apocalyptic wastelands that used to be relegated to books and films seems all the more imminent, with very little out there to protect us.
Long-running electronic-based grind (which is a really limiting description) band Genghis Tron see it too, and they smear ash from the lingering embers of our existence all over their fourth record “Signal Fire.” These 10 tracks envision a time after our reality is leveled, and human extinction has come to pass, the world left to recover from our lack of stewardship. The band—vocalist Tony Wolski, keyboardist/programmer Michael Sochynsky, guitarist Hamilton Jordan, bassist Kenny Szymanski (The Armed), and drummer Nick Yacyshyn (Sumac, Yautja)—finds a strange labyrinth of sounds that feel like they emanate from a mysterious lab and also find the metallic fire of their earlier work to make for an experience that feels like slipping in and out of a nightmare.
“I Am All” bathes in synth, Wolski singing, “So out of touch, almost obscene,” which could be seen as a biting criticism of society in 2026. Screams then explodes as the sounds swim and clash, balmy passages thicken the air, and then thorny cries ripple again, peeling back flesh and gutting. The title cut is a brief blast, guitars tangling as the singing drips, screams penetrating as the playing gets punchier, succumbing to corrosion. “Future Worship” basks in sci-fi keys as the singing floats in on a dream, and the keys flood, creating a sort of neon vibe. The chorus glides, and the tension feels very NIN-ish, beats scurrying and guitars scuffing. “Like Fotocrom” is another quick one, keys plinking as echoey singing reverberates in your mind, a thick haze covering everything. The melodies grow increasingly dreamier as the final gasps spill into the dark. “Tomorrow Mirage” begins to turn back toward more classic GT territory, howls slashing, the pace creating a trance-like state, beats confounding as the horrific elements rise. Shrieks crush as the playing blisters, beats crackling over a synth light show, bouncing off the inside of skulls, synth melting into afternoon clouds.
“Nothing Blooms in the Hollow” is ferocious as well, driving into madness, screams leaving brush burns, the energy swirling in a cyclone. The singing evens out as guitars invade and electrify, spilling fluid colors and ending in a gasp. “Without Form” is a strange, yet atmospherically fitting interlude, dark keys pulsing and creating a spacey vibe, moodiness increasing and bouncing off with laser points. “Born Prey” tears apart, the shrieks stomping animalistically, the pace utterly wrecking shop, the vocals somewhat icing over the viciousness. Keys glimmer and hover as humid melodies trickle, feeling poppy and weird, whirring into a supernova. “A Love So Pure” could be a radio hit if strange music still was permitted to operate in that space. The keys soothe as pristine singing creates an ear worm, flowing before tearing out its guts, screams blasting with acidic intent. Despite the savagery, the hooks are unavoidable and pull you in, the aura growing more immersive, the synth dropping temps as we segue into closer “New Gods” that melts into washed-out singing and vibrant pockets of colors emerging from the grey. Beats surge as the howls lash, swirling through dark tunnels that could lead anywhere, balancing serenity and madness. The playing jars and stabs, shrieks slashing sides, the final battering disappearing into a vapor cloud.
“Signal Fire” is both an apocalyptic fever dream and a distant early warning as to where humanity might unravel in fairly short order. Genghis Tron’s sound still has a few mighty tentacles sonically in where the band originally operated, with some timely electronic dreams that take us into a wasteland in which we have yet to step. It’s probably too late to hope for the best, and this record should be a salve for the future wounds.
For more on the band, go here: https://genghistron.bandcamp.com/music
To buy the album, go here: https://www.relapse.com/collections/genghis-tron-signal-fire
For more on the label, go here: https://www.relapse.com/
Meat Mead Metal 