Germ - Wish

This is wild stuff from down under. Think black metal meets 80s era alternative music (lots of synth).Germ is a one man show, the product of the fevered Aussie brain of Tim Yatras. It's billed as black metal meets electronica but to be honest, I'm not sure if that's totally accurate or not. Not because it's bad or anything, but when you come across such a different bit of artistic expression it's hard to know what to make of it.

There are times when it seems sublime and other times when you're finger hovers over the next track button. In between is a sonic landscape that's both familiar and alien. I can't tell you how many times I've read or heard musicians bemoan the industry's tendency to label everything that artists put out. Perhaps Tim, as Germ, has managed to produce something closer to being truly uncategorizable. On the black metal side, there are banshee vocals that are downright chilling in an appropriately ethereal mix, while on the electronica side, the hypnotic pulse of keyboard rhythms provides a a steady canvas for the rest of the musical onslaught.

I've heard a lot of buzz about how brilliant this music is, and I'm not saying it's without any appeal. I certainly appreciate the guitar solos (yeah, there are some) that try to pierce the sonic tapestry that Yatras weaves, but there's such a spacey feel to everything - like it was recorded live in a giant concert hall - that the mix often becomes muddy. Still, there's definitely something there that bears appreciation. I would love to hear a remix of this by one of the European melodeath master producers, like Fredrik Nordström.

The Bottom Line: Many have called Tim Yatras' music the creation of a genius. And it definitely shows talent and promise. The only thing missing at this point is a really good producer - one used to capturing music that's moody and melodic, but also brutually heavy - to capture a faithful respresentation of it, helping to bring out the essence of Yatras' musical inspiration for a sure to be eager audience.

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