Terraformer

Terraformer (2010)

John Gentile

If the music thing doesn't work for Terraformer, they can always get a job drafting scores for NOVA. A three-piece instrumental band from Belgum, Terraformer create mathcore-influenced rock that is the perfect backdrop for deep-sea exploration.

While a great deal of mathcore relishes in its discordance, assaulting the listener as much as playing to them, Terraformer seem to go for a more embracing approach. On this self-titled EP, the music rapidly changes and evolves, but the changes seem to be natural–alms in the vein of classical music. The band weaves complex rhythms that slide together, and throughout the EP, return to similar motifs and sounds.

Instead of using a squealing attack or buzzing feedback, the band uses rapid, spacey taps that create the feeling of floating. As the band progresses through the EP, notes warmly drift in and out, rising and falling in an almost hypnotic rhythm. Skillfully, the band rapidly changes tempos not to show so much that they can rapidly change tempo, but more so because it fits the music. The production is highly polished, giving the music a very precise feel.

On this EP, Terraformer makes a strong argument that not all math rock needs to be abrasive. Their music is both complex and accessible, showing that not all mathcore needs to be about the math side of the equation.