Candiria 300 Percent Density

Candiria is always a challenging listening experience. Not because they suck or anything, but because they demand your full attention. Not as quick to change up riffs or grooves as they were on their previous effort, 'Process Of Self.Development', Candiria has dropped most of the jazz and hip-hop and stuck to hardcore and metal. Additionally, vocalist Carley Coma has shored up his dying-frog voice and now uses more of a straight-up delivery. That's not to say that they've become one-dimensional or anything, not even close. Shards of hip-hop, jazz, and prog-rock still swirl amongst the complexities of Candiria's polyrhythmic madness. Thankfully, when Candiria combines hardcore with hip-hop, it doesn't sound contrived or forced, ala Limp Bizkit or 1,000 other acts out there. Candiria's brand of hip-hop is usually bare-bones and raw, devoid of production bells-and-whistles or the stereotypical DJ action. However, with the exception of the Wu-esqe "Words From The Lexicon" and the drum-less "Advancing Positions", there really isn't too much of the stuff on this record. For the most part, '300 Percent Density' is chock-full of potent hardcore vocals and metallic guitars. And of course, drummer Kenneth Schalk is as dynamic as ever, though he must be seen live to be fully appreciated. '300 Percent Density' is truly a full-length, with over 60 minutes of music, a veritable rarity these days. This whole record has a mood of teetering on the brink of coherence and chaos, and just when you think a song is getting away from them, Candiria instantly pulls things together with a tight-as-hell breakdown or groove. Yes, there a few tracks on here that don't really seem to go anywhere, such as "Advancing Positions" and "Opposing Meter" (which is basically just sound effects). But on the other hand, this record contains what are, in my opinion, the two greatest songs Candiria has ever put out, "300 Percent Density" (with its ever-changing tempos and killer breakdowns) and "Constant Velocity Is As Natural As Being At Rest" (with a nice jazz introduction and a strange middle section, consisting of a plodding Primus type groove with middle eastern guitar). Quite simply, when these guys are at the top of their game, nobody can touch them.