Doctor Scientist’s first album, Prehistoric Times, is finally out. After a few 7” appearances and a cassette tape, Prehistoric Times builds on what came before, the insano “snort a jumbo tube of PixieStix” combination of synth and guitar work that comes across like a metal The Death Set with additional vocal work by Jim Henson’s Muppets.
Trying to describe this music is near impossible. The instrumentation is Casio keyboard drums with the tempo set as high as possible while guitars shred through the songs. It’s a lot of fun, it’s incredibly catchy danceable and upbeat even if the lyrics themselves deal with topics such as the destruction of the Earth, the rise of the new Dinosaurs, and fighting against robots.
Yeah, it’s weird. It’s like the all the kids kid who used to play Gamma World at lunch got together after high school and started a band, playing fast and loose with the rules of what punk music should be like. Going so far as to strike out from the typical topics of other synthpunk bands such as partying, drinking and fucking. Prehistoric Times is an electro thrash metal spazz fest.
Each song is short, most around a minute and a half, so that if you don’t like the song playing it will most likely be over before you can fumble with your mp3 player to change it. The musical tone varies across the album; you have the almost metal styled “Happy Place” with screeched vocals and menacing minor chords, then there’s the 8-bit epic “Global Crash” which moves along at a Salem pace with no vocals for most of its length. From this near tranquility the guitars and vocals build up like distant waves and crest crashing over the song ending before like the tide they recede ending the album with a brief moment of calm.
The stand out tracks for are “Is This Real Life?!” whose menacing low growl provides welcome degree of menace setting the mood properly for the rest of the album, the aforementioned “Global Crash” and “Mechanical Battlefield” which moves a long at a great clip.
One thing I didn’t like was the staccato delivery where the vocals and music crash in time as the lyricists shout one word in time with the beat. That’s more a personal preference more than anything else, though and your own opinion may vary.
Regardless of that tiny complaint, if you enjoy bands similar to Math The Band, The Death Set, Uncle Monsterface and the like. I, personally, LOVE this album. It’s currently out on CD only through P.Trash and FDH records but will be appearing on vinyl this summer. Hopefully Doctor Scientist will be playing shows in support and hopefully I’ll know well enough in advance to attend.