After eight years of living in the shadows, I would expect any band to take a good hard look at themselves and decide what can be done to emerge triumphant. Luckily, Idiom have belied all worries of being outdated through an enormous breakout over the last few years.
Based in Exeter, the band were at the forefront of the welcomed rock-rap revival at the end of the noughties. Formed in 2005, the hard-working outfit birth a fusion of diverse and eclectic sounds from the likes of Rage Against The Machine, System Of A Down and Deftones through their debut record “Movement”. After touring with Skindred last year and receiving critical acclaim for their free single “Brain Dead”, the band are reeping the benefits through gaining slots at NASS, Download, Takedown, Hit The Deck, Redfest and Burn Out Festival this year.
Following so much pressure to perform, they haven’t let us down. Infact, they’ve produced arguably the best release of 2013 for alternative music. Immediately, their opening track violates the listeners ear drums with Matt Sharlands sharp screams coincinding with the bands chunky riffs and pounding rhythm section. It’s all too easy to sink into a false sense of security, as before you know it, Sharland is executing an excuisite clean vocal display in the chorus to polarise their sound in the blink of an eye. It’s not only festival organisers who are jumping on the Idiom loving bandwagon, as Benji Webbe (Skindred) and Sean Smith’s (The Blackout) appearance on this record highlights the desire for the bigger names in the world of rock to be involved with this exciting and ironically coined “new” band. A notable quality is the comfortable fit which Matt Sharland shares amongst the likes of Smith and Webbe, as there isn’t a point where a first time listener would easily distinguish any difference in quality between the vocalists.
As soon as “Brain Dead” kicks in, my immediate response is to reminisce on the chaos this track has orchestrated on the three occasions I have seen the band play live since December 2012. Arguably one of the freshest tracks in nu metal, this is most likely the bands strongest piece of evidence that they are set to shoot above previous expectations. Their cocktail of eclectic influences and chaotic riffs continues to intoxicate as the anthemic “When It’s All Said and Done” smoothly rolls us over the horizon of the first half of this record. Their endless melodics both instrumentally and vocally, whilst maintaining brutality when deemed appropriate means this bands sound should open doors in more ways than previous material. With “In The Fall” being a prime example of a commercially viable nu metal firecracker, loaded with an explosive chorus that won’t let you go until you’re singing it yourself.
We here at Rock Regeneration love this band, a lot. Idiom have unloaded a long awaited record bursting with undeniable fresh quality and unpredictable twists which will delight all who have supported them in recent years. Personally, ‘Movement’ is the most exciting release so far in 2013 from a band who could find themselves on the Download Festival main stage sooner than they might think.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/IDIOM/12224761257
Words by George Fullerton.
Amazing review, great band! Probably have someone proof read this write-up though.