Neopoliten – Shapeshifter Assembly
Since he was 12 years old, Neopoliten knew he was going to be an artist. Multiple years and several mediocre attempts later, his efforts have finally resulted into something truly substantial. Masterfully fusing noise, shoegaze and heavy rock; Neopoliten has crafted one heavily layered and beautifully constructed celebration of all genres - while simultaneously sounding fresh and on its own.
Neopoliten accomplishes on Shapeshifter Assembly what very few noise rock albums have accomplished; a fine balance between intricate layers of unfiltered noise and toe-tapping bangers. This is abundantly clear on the opening track, Common Man, a masterful noise-rock experience. The textures throughout the song are stunning, while the melody constantly progresses the track naturally. Even when pop conventions take centre stage, such as in Giving Up On Friends, Neopoliten seamlessly blends the dissonant noise similar to My Bloody Valentine on Loveless, leaving the listener in awe. Heaven’s Gate boasts some of the most impressive layering I’ve heard in noise-rock; its final section is spectacular; accompanied humorously by Neo crashing into his own drum set. The remaining songs are of equal quality; all boasting their own unique, positive attributes.
The vocal performance throughout Shapeshifter Assembly is noteworthy; once my major criticism of Neo’s work is now one of his defining characteristics. They are consistently raw, abrasive and expressive. Furthermore, Neo’s range of delivery is incredibly impressive; he has the impactful screams of Brian McMahan on Spiderland, as well as the phenomenal loud-spoken whisper of Trent Reznor on The Downward Spiral. As the album progresses the vocals begin to wear like a disintegrating tape; meanwhile, the guitars become more ferocious and centre stage. It seems unlikely Neo will be able to sustain his masterful vocal performance in the long run, though it’s certainly a delight while he’s able to maintain his vocal cords.
Shapeshifter Assembly sounds like the sort of album Royal Trux would make in their prime if they were concerned with making a catchy surfer-rock album. Moreover, Neopoliten has little concerns with appealing a label; his output is akin to the Mad Hatter’s eccentric style. As a result, the album is filled with passion and energy. In its near 30-minute length, there is seldom a dull moment. Shapeshifter Assembly is the flagship LP 4chan deserves and is a sign for good things to come.
NOTE: The original score to this album was an “incredible” rating. I have since changed the score of his review because I believe I was slightly clouded by hype at its release. I think the album is fantastic, but as the site has progressed and I’ve listened to more releases, I can’t honestly say it’s on the same level of quality as the “incredible” releases. Since this review, I have made the rule to never release a review on release, but instead to give it a week or two so I can be assured of its final score. I apologise to Neopoliten, though I’m rather confident he will easily achieve an incredible score in future.
Awesome
Listen to it here:
Neopoliten – Shapeshifter Assembly
