When you think of concept albums, as a prog fan you will likely consider works such as The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway and The Wall, both double albums in all their glory. In stark contrast this concept album is actually a mini-album, and at a running time of just 23 minutes is akin to the length of a classic epic prog song like Supper’s Ready. Does that diminish anything that Fixation have to offer? I don’t think so.
For every feature film or novel, there have always been clever and creative short films and short stories. And that’s how this works, it gives you the same sense of a narrative journey that you would expect from a much longer concept album, but in a condensed format. In some ways I found that this approach kept the concept closer to the surface. On some of the longer more grandiose concept albums it can be hard to keep track of the story in amongst so much music. Here you have no such concerns as the beginning middle and end of the story breeze by in under half an hour.
“Shortly after their successful debut album, the award-winning metalcore band Fixation is ready to release new music with Speak in Tongues – a conceptual mini-album exploring themes of belonging, identity, and power. Across eight tracks, the band from Norway takes listeners on a musical journey where thought-provoking lyrics and a complex soundscape intertwine.”
The PR blurb having given me an understanding of the concept behind the album going in really helped me to lock into the story and immerse myself fully into where the band was taking me. The first listen surprised me and I started to like it more and more with each play.
“The album is about a person searching for meaning in a world that rejects them,” explains vocalist Jonas Hansen. “They find refuge in a cult, but quickly realize it’s no better than the society they felt excluded from. They decide to create their own cult but lose touch with themself in the process.” Hansen adds that the band has long been fascinated by cult movements and their psychological power. The album is filled with hidden hints and “Easter eggs” for attentive listeners.
The opening track wasn’t like I expected from reading the blurb, it had a huge cinematic vibe that comes across like Ren sampling The Greatest Showman. With such a short run time and such a tightly told story it’s not important to extol the virtues of each track. To experience Speak In Tongues properly you need to hear it from beginning to end.
The melodic vocals make this sound like a bigger and more epic version of early Thirty Seconds To Mars, ironically from before Jared Leto started to display cultish tendencies himself (which may or may not have been a piece of performance art). It’s offset by some crushingly aggressive screaming. This is an extremely visual audio experience, as the story unfolds with layers of production design, texture and a powerful emotional core. You feel this record, as it draws you deeper and deeper into the story. To do that in such a short run time is extremely impressive.
There’s a very American sheen to this album coupled with Norwegian ingenuity to create something I’ve never heard before. There’s so much to unpack here, the clever sound design, the mechanical, metallic, robotic vibes, long difficult keyboard runs, choir like harmonies, industrial drums like a Hans Zimmer score, all in a metal environment backed up by staccato guitar work that would do Haken proud. It’s hard to describe this record, as it’s so disarmingly unique.
Like the Porcupine Tree song Last Chance To Evacuate Planet Earth Before It’s Recycled, the closing track Fever Dreaming uses recordings from Heaven’s Gate cult leader Marshall Herff Applewhite Jr and his chilling Students Final Exit Statements video. His calmness and articulation is truly terrifying. The use of that real audio makes this even more powerful and affecting and is the perfect way to close off the story they are telling through song. In a world where social media and the current political landscape veers ever closer to cult like behaviour, this album serves as a timely reminder how easy it is to find purpose in something, anything, no matter how dangerous, just to feel something and to not be living for nothing.
This mini-album/EP is aggressive but melodic, reassuringly familiar while also fresh. I’ve been hammering it in the car and at the gym. It’s anthemic and memorable, without ever being populist. The description of the band may not have sat with your usual genre interests, but if you like music on the heavier side I’d implore you to try this. This is inventive heavy music, and on the basis of this record I would say that the future of metal is in good hands. Highly, highly recommended.
TRACK LISTING
01. {grow a flower} (1:15)
02. Random Acts of Violence (4:07)
03. {pick the petals} (0:50)
04. Blue Skies (4:23)
05. {tear its thorns off} (1:02)
06. Tyrannical Miracle (3:24)
07. {blood still on the grass} (1:57)
08. Fever Dreaming (6:29)
Total Time – 23:27
MUSICIANS
Jonas W Hansen – Vocals
Martin S Selen – Guitar
Tobias Østerdal – Guitar
Øyvind Lunde – Bass
Ola Dønnem – Drums
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Indie Recordings
Country of Origin: Norway
Date of Release: 11th October 2024
LINKS
Fixation – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Instagram