Artist: Struction
Album: S/T EP
Label: Noreaster Media
Tracks: 6
Length: 20:45
Review by: Phil Nichols

Struction emerged in the Albany, NY scene a few months ago with the release of their first self-titled EP. The disc, chock full of frantic guitars, intense rhythm, and chaotic instrumentation, caused quite a stir locally, and apparently inspired the band to go back in the studio to record a second self-titled EP as a follow-up.

What can be expected from this follow-up EP? In short, this disc tries very hard to marry together chaos and melody, and it succeeds to some extent. The music itself is frantic, with complex time signatures played loud and fast. The chords used are not particularly pleasing to the ear and sound coarse and noisy. The singing, however, compensates for the lack of musical melody with dueling male and female vocals over the calculated and technical chaotic layers. The noise and melody is a strange combination, but it works pretty well for this band, and it gives Struction a sound that is completely their own.

Though, they are not anything amazing, Struction does offer listeners something unique, a feat that surprisingly few artists can boast. The downside, of course, is that with chaotic and technical music comes a lack of accessibility. Some people can tolerate the type of clashing chords and sudden transitions that fill this EP, others would rather have something more melodic and easy to listen to. The former will probably enjoy this disc and get their money's worth from it, but the latter will probably want to stay clear of this altogether. This writer falls somewhere in between: appreciating Struction's uniqueness, but desiring something a little more pleasing to ear.