Tundra / Gods Among Men Split / 2005 Self / 4 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/tundraseattle / flophaus@hotmail.com / Reviewed 22 January 2006

Tundra came out of three of the members of Gods Among Men, which decided to go on without Ruth and do their own thing. Each of the tracks on this EP are very long, drawn out track sthat really seem to be along the path of Hydra Head acts (Khanate, in particular). However, the inclusion of the viola on tracks like “Tubring” may just be the most memorable facet of the band. This is not to say that the rest of the band is sub-par, especially considering the chaotic mess that is created on each track churns through with a blood rage.

The division between the higher register of the viola and the deeper mixture of drums/bass/guitar makes for two distinct paths of Tundra, two different ways to listen to each and every track on this EP. This is not really the furious noise of The Locust or the crust punk of 9 Shocks Terror, but rather a mixture of metal, sludge, crust, noise and rock to make something that is the equivalent of the shit color one gets when they mix together all sorts of different colors. One problem with that analogy, though: Tundra is not shit or shitty in the least, but rather something that has to be fun to see live. There is one structural limitation to this album, however; the production values are not quite what they need to be to really led Tundra shine. There seems to be some fuzziness present throughout all of the tracks that really obscures the sharpness of Justin’s viola and distorts the bass that has such a large role in tracks like “Animus/Anima”. Even with this limitation, Tundra shines brightly during “Animus/Anima”.

The shuffling nature of the track, coupled with a number of different shifts in the band’s sound during this seven-minute track, make this the one song that everyone needs to hear to get a proper appreciation for the band. The two Gods Among Men tracks that are on this disc (“No” and “Pagan Invasion”) are a little more rough than the Tundra album, but the review should really focus on the future rather than the past. Tundra is a different band than Gods Among Men, that is true, but there seems to be a spark in Tundra that really needs to be exploited when the band can get a few more tracks down and (hopefully) gets a better place to record.

Top Track: Animus/Anima

Rating: 6.2/10

[JMcQ]