First listens can sometimes be deceiving, so when I wasn't very keen on Tangaroa's 'Day' the first time I spun it again. And again. Being a five track EP, it is quite short so I had the time to spin it quite a few times before I came to a more concrete conclusion, and I'm glad I did.

The band have been around since 1999, and 'Day' is their second EP. Their music is a mixture of styles, incorporating grind, death, black, hardcore and jazz. Overall they sound like a more progressive version of early Carcass.

The EP begins (and ends) with a sound which reminds me of a lorry honking as it goes past you on the motorway, then the very short first track 'When The Door Swings Shut' begins with its 'cougar in distress' vocals and the widdly-widdly spiralling proggy guitars which initially put me off. However the second track 'Vietnamese Killing Queens' is an improvement - although the basic components of the first track are the same, the composition seems stronger, and because the track is longer there is more time to establish a proper song structure. Around five minutes in sees a melodic section which seems oddly fitting - Tangaroa are very unconventional so there is a sense of freedom about their work. It is like jazz in that same sense of freedom, and although there is rhythm it certainly couldn't be described as formulaic! Clever in a tech-metal kind of way, it is a little too intense for me, and I think too much of it would just give me a headache. I actually like a certain amount of predictability in music, it is more soothing to the ear.

Definitely one for fans of grind then, particularly fans of early Carcass. It is original and unconventional. It does take a few listens but it's worth the effort. If you're a fan of death, black or tech metal it's definitely worth a listen, unless you hate grind.

**

Review by Amanda Hyne

Band website

Label website