Yesterday afternoon, we were lifelessly limping through our daytime gig when we pulled out our phone to check our emails, and BOOM – without warning, the legendary Car Bomb detonated our inbox with the announcement of their imminent return.
Just hours after this surprise attack, the band officially dropped their new single “Paroxysm.” The song gives longtime fans a lot to chew on, with the meaty brutality of their earlier work surging to the front while keeping everything that makes Mordial and Meta iconic to this day.
“Paroxysm” also teases what feels like a more natural sound for Car Bomb, which is almost risky when you consider the band’s distinctly modern, even futuristic sound. But to our ears, it’s a massive payoff – the drums and bass are still forward, but they also sit in a more central, mix-oriented space. Michael Dafferner’s vocals bounce from low to high and melodic just like before, but it sounds easier for him now, and he sounds meaner than ever. Oh, and Greg Kubacki gets in a genuinely Thordenhal-esque guitar solo towards the end, so fellow Meshuggah worshippers, keep your ear out for a tasty treat.
Check out the video below by Kael Rose / Palpa Visuals.
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After writing the above and listening a dozen times, we read the press release. Now that improved low-end and natural sound we mentioned makes a ton of sense, if we say so ourselves. Actually, let them say it:
… “Paroxysm,” the first single from the new EP Tiles Whisper Dreams, reveals a revitalized Car Bomb, seemingly chomping at the bit with all the fury of a band half its age. “This is our first release since before COVID,” states Kubacki, “and we really tried to put our 100% into these songs.”
Car Bomb’s sound is that of perpetual transformation: a spiraling flurry of rhythm and texture that congeals, fleetingly, into planet-pulverizing death-grooves and fragments of haunting melodies. Baffling rhythmic modulations and deep-space guitar effects appear to warp time completely. Disorientation is the rule, not the exception.
In under 3 minutes, the aptly-titled “Paroxysm” delivers a barrage of semi-automatic drum-fire and viscous guitars, conjoined in inscrutable patterns. Vocalist Michael Dafferner mostly roars but lets his singing voice shine in one brief, glistening moment. The song is about “the never-ending struggle with power and control,” he says.
One could spend weeks trying to calculate the twists and turns of Car Bomb’s compositions but, zoom out, surrender to the chaos, and there is another experience to be had: complete catharsis. While there is joy in trying to dissect the elite chops and maniacal arrangements that Dafferner, Kubacki, bassist Jon Modell, and drummer Elliot Hoffman put forth, there is also joy in reveling in the ineffable, unknowable spaces their confounding music explores. The fact that this band continues to explore, 25 years in, makes it one of the real treasures of today’s metal scene.
Drum tracking and vocal pre-production for Tiles Whisper Dreams were done at Silvercord Studio in Queens, New York, the studio owned by Joe Duplantier of Gojira. Kubacki describes Silvercord as “our home away from home.” Guitars, bass, and vocals were recorded at the band members’ respective home studios. The album was mixed by Johann Meyer at Silvercord and mastered by Grammy Award winner Ted Jensen (The Eagles, Green Day).”
Car Bomb’s new EP is getting announced at what feels like the perfect time, even if it’s been all too long since the days of Mordial – mathematical, metallic, incomprehensible music has made some serious headway since 2019, and with so many young bands pushing the envelope it’s incredible to hear generation-spanning bands like Car Bomb, PSUDOKU, and Vildhjarta continue to hone their great experiments.
Also, for you lucky ones, “Car Bomb will tour Europe and the UK in August, including dates with Gojira, Between the Buried and Me, and Imperial Triumphant, followed by a September tour of Australia supporting Animals as Leaders – Car Bomb’s first time ever in Australia.”
Pre-order Tiles Whisper Dreams here.
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