PRESS
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
Dead Souls
L.I.G.O ("Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Interferometer") are an interesting death metal(ish) proposition, which was introduced to me by Skip from Black Minds 'zine. The band members of L.I.G.O have taken pseudonyms from scientists and others of a high intellectual pedigree, and I'm pretty sure they'd look silly if it wasn't for the liberal use of irony throughout "No One Safe". The band use a scientific style to analyze and provoke in their lyrics, which are well written and certainly suit the abstract characteristics of the music.
And the music itself is certainly very unique and interesting; you'll probably know from listening to the first ten seconds of this CD as to whether you like it or not. L.I.G.O are heavy, they are brutal, but also very technical and complex; having said that there is not a single guitar solo on this album... Which, in my opinion is a good thing; L.I.G.O use their ability to form a promulgation of riffs into a veritable battering ram of sound that twists and turns so quickly it's hard to keep up with it. Think about how a shark, when caught, struggles frantically to free itself , without regard for anyone who might get in it's way. Well, that's sort of how L.I.G.O sound. A violent, epileptic seizure of sound. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you want something challenging and sophisticated within the realms of extreme metal, then I can't recommend this highly enough. Truly one of a kind. It has been announced that Russian label More Hate will be releasing this later in 2004. Labels interested in releasing the bands second album (titled "Handle Your Business") get in touch with either the band or myself, as I have some promos of "No One Safe" here to give away.
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
Pull the Cnain
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe". This is quite easy to guess this encounter of musicians as a band with a slightly different bent, you should?otherwise they probably wouldn't arm themselves with a moniker as L.I.G.O. which stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Interferometer. This extreme metal band (at least musically) come from Krasnodar (somewhere in the south Russia). Death metal? Well, that was surely the original matrix of L.I.G.O. but judging from the seven tracks recorded here, there's no much left of it. Most of the song structures are really complex and this makes "No One Safe" very unpredictable in general and its access isn't really easy. At first, most of the themes recorded here may sound as noisy / chaotic long tracks but after several careful listens, "No One Safe" reveal some of its secrets. L.I.G.O. possess what I would label as a very Dillinger Escape Plan's feeling (even if both acts can absolutely not be compared). The band special trademark also relies on those exhaustive (completely insane) vocal works that easily attract most of the listener's attention ("Vagina Dentata" for instance). "No One Safe" lacks a little bit towards the end but it's still an interesting / original release. Patricia
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
Raw Nerve
Never judge a CD by its cover. The simplistic maths equations filled cover would suit an indie rock metal band yet the description claims that this South Russian 5 piece is extreme metal. Just the press release makes for fascinating reading alone (for once, usually the norm just says ‘this band are great, they've played with all bands...etc.) as L.I.G.O. (or should it be L.I.G.W.I. judging by the acronym Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Interferometer (surely this should be Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory).
So, to the sounds, how do I set about describing the indescribable? Well, within a few seconds, I can hear this is going to be an odd ride, with a razor sharp, bass heavy sound like Entombed mixed with evil black metal-esque vocals, very distorted. Musically very progressive, mid paced for the most parts during ‘No one safe', relying on a groove, intense in production, and just generally rather unique.
The closest relatives I can think of are Satyricon (but less black metal), Meshuggah (although not quite as fast or chaotic), Zao (a little in vocals), Samael and Cynic maybe, and most akin to Gorguts when they turned progressive and even sicker. Tough indeed though, as they chop and change styles and rhythms, yet it flows really well. And so the odd but very clever musicianship continues and so does my problem in trying to describe what this actually sounds like!
Throw all those bands listed into a fermenting tub of acid, wait a little while then throw a bomb into the middle. Piece together what you have left and you might have something similar here! What I CAN say is you won't have heard anything like this before, guaranteed! This is beyond a progressive metal experiment. This is pure controlled originality. AND there is a completely bizarre, almost unrecognisable King Crimson cover at the end in the shape of ‘Three of a perfect pair'. Perhaps the most original reworking of a song I've ever heard. Inspired and inspiring. Completely confusing as well.
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
http://froster.org.ua
I would like to apologize in advance for a very long review. But the band's worth it. To begin with, when I saw the CD I was shocked by the astonishing artwork mostly made of the drawings of this L.I.G.O. thing. This abracadabra stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, that's the name of an astrophysical observatory in the US . No wonder that the band members took the names of famous physicists (both dead and still living) like Einstein, Hubble, Hawking, Oppenheimer.
The album stands out against the ever-growing mass of clone-like releases. The fact that this was made in Krasnodar and not in the far-far-away foreign lands is yet more exciting. Labeling this music as prog-death is on the tip of my tongue; however, this will only be an approximation. The foreground is occupied by bass guitar (handled by a girl) playing square and broken parts. The drums, though pushed aside a little bit, are a good match. Yet the guitar is far, far away, and almost blends with the bass when playing the rhythm. There are 2 vocals, a heavily distorted scream (as if heard from a cheap piece of a radio). The second vocal is clean . Generally, the recording is intentionally noisy, which is not typical of those pretending to play prog rock. Lyrics are unexpectedly abundant for six tracks. Main topics are space, black holes, Lilith and vagina. Mostly good English texts, plus some pieces in Latin and even in Sanskrit (wow!!!). The songs merge into one big lunacy with a KING CRIMSON cover (Three of a Perfect Pair) on top having been adequately treated, of course. Sounds like an asphalt roller having gone mad and rushing at 120 KM/H to trample down everything around including your ears. BTW, the great physicists virtually don't rehearse together and work by correspondence instead. To cut the long story short: a must-have for all those into really bright, authentic and uncompromising music.
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
www.metallibrary.ru
Do you know what stands for L.I.G.O.? Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory. Well done Russians ! Right, the band is from the honored Russian city of Krasnodar . These guys must have graduated from a mighty technical college, I believe. And they must be really modest, hence all these modest pseudonyms like Stephen Hawking, Edwin Hubble, Albert Einstein, Jocelyn Bell, Robert Oppenheimer. Frankly speaking, of these five names I only know two... Anyway, I am not into all this technical stuff.
The guys play sophisticated music I'm still struggling to classify. Sounds like death but with muffled guitars, protruded resonant bass and blackish screaming... Plus an extremely chilling industrial flavor which does give me creeps. The songs are intricate and structurally sophisticated. There is no Meshuggah-type polyrhythm; however, the rhythm constantly changes, and following the theme in progress can be a hard task at first, yet an interesting one. Some tracks (especially "Lilith") have a hypnotizing effect so that listening to these feels like getting your head up in the clouds. Need to point out the 12-minute track named "Singularity", by far the most diverse one, ranging from the coldness of metal to obscure melodies to gloomy solos and speedy pieces. A pleasure to listen. One more interesting thing: there are a couple of verses in Sanskrit (if I am not mistaken) and Latin. Here comes higher education ! :-)
A wonderful release, monotonous a little bit ("Singularity" compensates for this monotony a lot, though) yet definitely worth paying attention. Would like to see more complicated music in the future. And the debut is very promising.
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
Metal Empire
What would you think of a band named Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory and the musicians hiding under famous scientists' names like Einstein, Hawking, Hubble, Bell and Oppenheimer? This must be some crazy progressive stuff, you would say. Have a look at the album cover, and you'll to assume there might be some kind of industrial flavor, too. If that's what you think when seeing these five intellectual maniacs' debut album for the first time, you may be congratulated for having successfully passed intuition test No. 1. Actually I have no idea what I've just written here, still I will continue.
I am far from recommending "No One Safe" simply to a death metal fan. To listen to this CD from A to Z, understand it and sincerely enjoy this stuff, one really needs to be a true progressive death gourmet. L.I.G.O. music is extremely complicated and dissonant; however, each note, each beat has been thoroughly elaborated and thought of. Be it unison, pinpoint accents or total sonic chaos, these transitions from one to another are instant. Just add harsh and distorted screaming (that's one of the aforementioned industrial flavorings) and what you'll get will be absolutely indigestible from an ordinary metal or even death metal fan's point of view. However, if you're one of those seeking something new in music and not scared to overload their thinking apparatus during the listening process, don't miss your chance to listen to the music of these extraordinary guys from Krasnodar.
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
Rockmarket
What would you think of a band named Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory and the musicians hiding under famous scientists' names like Einstein, Hawking, Hubble, Bell and Oppenheimer? This must be some crazy progressive stuff, you would say. Have a look at the album cover, and you'll to assume there might be some kind of industrial flavor, too. If that's what you think when seeing these five intellectual maniacs' debut album for the first time, you may be congratulated for having successfully passed intuition test No. 1. Actually I have no idea what I've just written here, still I will continue.
I am far from recommending "No One Safe" simply to a death metal fan. To listen to this CD from A to Z, understand it and sincerely enjoy this stuff, one really needs to be a true progressive death gourmet. L.I.G.O. music is extremely complicated and dissonant; however, each note, each beat has been thoroughly elaborated and thought of. Be it unison, pinpoint accents or total sonic chaos, these transitions from one to another are instant. Just add harsh and distorted screaming (that's one of the aforementioned industrial flavorings) and what you'll get will be absolutely indigestible from an ordinary metal or even death metal fan's point of view. However, if you're one of those seeking something new in music and not scared to overload their thinking apparatus during the listening process, don't miss your chance to listen to the music of these extraordinary guys from Krasnodar.
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
IN ROCK #17
First and foremost, what's really striking about the Krasnodar quintet named L.I.G.O. is the absolutely astonishing (for a Russian band) lyrics in English. Singing star in the Perseus constellation, mythical Lilith, Freud's psychosexual theories, suicidal radio station … These are just a few of the topics addressed in their debut album entitled “No One Safe”. Not only is it absolutely perfect from the grammatical point of view, but there's also a lot of poetry in it, like the Dark Angel's latest works or Anthrax' classics. As far as the music is concerned, L.I.G.O.'s oriented in yet another direction, which is also easy to guess judging by what the lyrics are about. What first comes to my mind is Fear Factory. However, L.I.G.O. vocals are heavily distorted, and the tempo is lower. Usually, Russians attempting to reproduce the Fear Factory's sound end up with a failure; however, “No One Safe” sounds surprisingly clear yet powerful and brutal. The credit for that goes to a Krasnodar cult musician Dirty Scoundrel (Far From Mind) and his Free Wind Studio. At the same time, L.I.G.O. is much more sophisticated as compared to their American colleagues, so that even King Crimson's cover (“Three of a Perfect Pair”) doesn't fall out against their own songs. However, the musical complexity connected with the blurred musical structure and certain monotony may virtually prevent an inexperienced listener from telling one track from another. Strange enough, but what really stuck in my memory was the longest piece, namely, the 12-minutes track named “ Singularity” with its slow parts, clean vocals and even a guitar solo (not to be found on any other track).
Roman Patrashov, 8 /10
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
Blackminds
Not long ago, I've had the honor to familiarize myself and the readers with the debut mini album of a progressive-death metal band fron Krasnodar named L.I.G.O. This mini album helped me take a different look at the CIS death metal scene – now I've got kind of a hope, if that's the right word. And this hope was not in vain… Recently I've listened to and reviewed the latest album of the brutal Mind Eclipse, which is something Russian underground can really be proud of. And now that I've hardly had enough time to catch my breath after listening to them, L.I.G.O.'s long-waited (by me, at least) full-length album is here to strike. OK, let's take a deep breath and get started.There's no intro, the first track starts off with a solid sound wall. Unlike many other bands, including the progressive death ones, L.I.G.O. uses perfectly nonstandard rhythmic structures and a vast variety of riffs, most of those derived from anywhere but death metal. According to what I was told in an interview (see the interview section), L.I.G.O. is a Western-style band, with the musicians exchanging their ideas by mail instead of rehearsing together. Good for them, as the CD sounds like something absolutely integral. ‘No One Safe', by the way, is also remarkable for its superb and perfectly legible bass lines, which is again something not very common for the Russian metal music. Next item on my plan is vocals and drums. Well, L.I.G.O.'s drums are, so to say, proper. I mean, the drums are not excessive like in Sadist's album of'97, nor are they primitive or straightforward. The drummer's doing a good job keeping the rhythm! As far as the vocals are concerned, again we've got two types of these, namely, screams and clean voices. I would like to apologize to Edwin for not accepting his vocal manner in the previous review, for now I finally understand the very … hmmmm… groove of that. Clean voices add something important and unique to the sound by standing out against the screams. By the way, Edwin's singing is good enough as compared to many metal bands that use clean voices. One more thing I'd like to talk about is the lyrics. The huge texts are written in eloquent and, what's more important, grammatically correct English, and partially in Sanskrit and Latin. This feature is widely used in the text named “Vagina Dentata”. L.I.G.O.'s lyrics covers a lot of subjects from black holes to suicide and this specific teethed vagina :) All the texts are interesting enough and recommendable for reading.
OK, we've got a lot pros, haven't we? Well, there's still one “con”. I'm talking about the quality of sound. Unlike the ‘Singularity' mini album, ‘No One Safe' sounds noisier, which is absolutely unacceptable for this stuff. Well, all this noise adds a certain charm to the sound, but still … After all, noisy doesn't mean lousy – the sound quality is above the average, however, I wish it were closer to the ideal. Anyway,despite the above-mentioned “con”, this CD gets the highest point, for it's a true masterpiece of Russian metal! I wish the band would play more and more diverse music, sign to a major label and record their albums in Europe 's best studios! And I wish you, dear readers, to wait till the album is released and to buy it: the album's really worth it!
L.I.G.O. "No One Safe"
http://www.metal-observer.com
I'm going to warn you straight away, L.I.G.O are not for everyone. In fact, they're probably not for most people. They're the sort of band that you really have to work at to enjoy, but everyone knows that these types of bands always produce the best experience once you really get into them. The reason for band's having this sort of 'hard to listen to but worth it' quality about them can be very wide. It could be a tough production, odd vocals, strange rhythmic patterns, an unorthodox approach to the genre they play, well, for L.I.G.O, it's all of the above and more. The band play a very strange brand of Progressive Death/Black Metal, spiced up with a bit of an Industrial touch in places and sporting an almost Drone/Noise like production. It's hard to explain, and even harder to compare with other bands, but if you tried to put CYNIC, MESHUGGAH and SAMAEL into a blender, then something like this might come out. Of course, that's a long shot of a comparison with those bands, but its about as close as you'll get. Polyrhythmic guitars and non-standard time signatures are what make the core of L.I.G.O's sound so interesting. That, coupled with the extremely prominent bass (it's just as easy, if not easier, to hear than the guitars) and the smart drumming give the album a very thought out and methodical feel, as if everything has a purpose. It's all very technical and mechanical, but in the good way that bands like MESHUGGAH have pretty much trademarked, elaborate without being over the top, and complex without being self-indulgent, L.I.G.O have created a good trade-off between their technicality and their song-writing sensibilities. Of special note should be the lyrics, which add a lot to the music; genuinely well written, grammatically correct and spiced up with a few passages of different languages that are amazingly effective, they are really fun to go through and couple with the complex and interesting music well. Passages like 'Girl with sunburn skin / her high heels a-clicking / Hurrying up somewhere with busy look / Old fiddler in the street / hands trembling, a-playing / False Morricone tune over again' are quite memorable and really interesting, while the latin (I think?) passages in “Vagina Dentata” are sung with such menace that they really stick with you. On the topic of the vocals, they are dominated by a Blackened scream that sits quite far back in the production, and really clear and almost Gothic clean vocals. The screams are almost Industrialized by the production giving them a really interesting sound, and the cleans are quite well performed, but a seem a bit too clear against the rest of the music, a small complaint but noticeable nonetheless.
Unfortunately, it isn't the only complaint you could have with the album. If you don't pay attention, it could seem quite repetitive, and that is in part due to the production which doesn't give the really interesting and unique riffs and melodies enough attention. That being said, the production is both a blessing and a curse, giving the album a really cool atmosphere as well as taking away some of the clarity from the guitars. Also, it is a genuinely hard album to get into especially if you come into it expecting more traditional extreme metal. This is the sort of stuff that needs to be approached at a certain level of caution before you can really garner if it's your cup of tea or not. But that's the appeal, its not like the hundreds of bands that all sound the same and appeal to the same masses. It's unique, one in a million, it tries to be different and stand apart from the crowd and it really succeeds. It has its faults, but they just seem to add to the interest of the album, and I couldn't recommend this more to people who like their Metal challenging and weird.
http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=16746