Tera Melos | s/t
Springman, 2005
I've never been one to trust overwrought band descriptions. The way Tera Melos are sold by Springman Records and/or Solid PR, Tera Melos evidently "thrashes [sic] around like a finely tuned Swiss watch barely avoiding dangerous collisions." A lot is made of the fact that their live shows are hyperactive, making Tera Melos out to be the bitchin'-est jazztechnopunk band around. Personally, such hype pains my bowels.
I write for Unrestrained! I've spent six years of my life witnessing the ritual of bands falling over themselves trying to prove how fast, loud, "brutal" and "metal" (or "punk," as the case may be) they are. I'm not going to say that there are more intense bands than Tera Melos out there. I don't know what the music scene is like in Sacramento. I just can't stand when a band is sold through a claim to being the "most insane band" since some other local band at some random dive bar. That's a battle no band can win - neither Tera Melos nor any other band, active or defunct. Any time someone tags the "most x" label on a band, it sets up disappointment if the band is not as impressive to the listener as the PR flak indicates.
Personally, I was disappointed in Tera Melos. They're a fine band, don't get me wrong. Instrumental indie rock not being an overexposed subgenre, they're a welcome addition to it. Tera Melos are tighter than the improv jazz they play would indicate, and Tera Melos are still punk enough for this self-titled album not to seem too aimless and unfocused. Still, there's too much of a "jam" quality to Tera Melos' music. That's fine for people who like their music meandering, but to me it's a detriment.
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