Trillion Red – Echo Road EP
Last year’s Metaphere established Trillion Red as a defiant avante-garde force, perplexing any distro owner attempting to place a genre tag firmly upon it. While that album’s post-punk/ambient/sludge/neo-folk (oh, fuck it, just read this) sounds also shape Patrick Brown’s latest release, the Echo Road EP demonstrates its own identity with four tracks bravely stepping over into industrial territory, but with an edge only a heart of Metal can provide. Though the wandering guitars and electronic servos of Echo Road may be intended to purge Metaphere’s creative lingerings for headspace that composition of TR’s next full-length must require, this is not a release that comes across as little more than leavings, as EPs that quickly follow releases often do. Instead, a high engagement level demanded of the listener belies the brevity of the album, giving it the unique character of sibling (rather than spawn) of Metaphere. Standing side by side it’s older brother, Echo Road’s first three movements (‘songs’ seems out of place here) fill the room about you or the room in you depending on your listening apparatus and, while instrumental, remain strong enough to – for those that are strong, and open to experiencing varied interpretations of extreme music – calm that restlessness, that fear of death, lingering in the subconscious of us all. Thus, you must choose to either a) lose yourself in Echo Road’s darkness, or b) use its darkness to fuel your day with a necessary amount of stoicism. The EP’s emotional kaleidoscope wraps up nicely with final track ‘Memoirs of the Future’, featuring the only vocal on the album, wherein a spoken, continuous Von Till-like admonition, set behind a propellant riff with trebled embellishments, fades in and around a piston of downpicking. ‘Crushing’, you ask? Yes. Limited to just 150 numbered copies in hand-made packaging for $5.00(!), do yourself a favor right now, turn off the path you know, and venture down the unknown that is Echo Road. -Jim
badGod Records
Worm Gear 
Buy this EP! You won’t be disappointed!