Tundra – S/T / 2006 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/tundraseattle / [email protected] / Reviewed 24 August 2006

Tundra wowed me with their split with Gods Among Me a few months ago, b ut this is all Tundra, all the time. Twenty-seven minutes of music await the listener, and the band seems to even made themselvews better than they were on their last go-around. He band is able to make some of the hardest, most intense music through using instruments and time signatures that would not normally seem proper for a composition of that style. The one thing that individuals will notice immediately about Tundra is that their compositions are considerably long (most range in the five to six minute range, besides “Bow Hunter”.

However, these compositions run through listeners’ hands like water; individuals will think each of the songs on this self-titled EP are only two to three minutes. Each of the tracks on this EP brings something new to individuals’ perceptions of Tundra. Where “Sanctioned Light” was a showcase of their heavier side, “Pursuit With Speers” is something that showcases their more emotional and arrangement-based side of things. Tundra, even with this “lighter” sound, still goes and throws ample double-bass action and a bouncy bass line into the mix. The use of tribal drums during the ending segment of the track continues the varying sound of Tundra. It is true; Tundra is like the mythical Proteus, thrashing about and changing forms to escape reviewers like me pigeonholing them into a specific style. The band does has one weak spot on this CD, as “Bow Hunter” relies much too heavily on repetition (specifically of the drums) to try to create a tension in the track.

The tempestuous blend of screaming and violins are nice, but when the track starts off with the drums arranged in such a way, I do not know if individuals will be able to stick with the band for the entirety of the track. The band shows that they have a human side with this weak track, and this song also provides the next stop for Tundra to take before they can be as influential and as impressive as Nation of Ulysses, Dag Nasty, or Cradle of Filth. Pick up this CD and listen to what the band has in store; their arrangement skills are well beyond other bands that have existed as long as they have, while the fullness of the band is something that cannot be rivaled. Give it a go!

Top Track: Inner Moon

Rating: 6.8/10

[JMcQ]