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They Say...

Review by Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

Some alternative metal bands believe that brute force alone is the key to creative happiness; they go right for the jugular and pride themselves on being consistently merciless. Other alt-metallers, however, need something more intricate; they value heaviness and intensity but also need to be musical and nuanced. O underscores the fact that TransmissionO falls into the second category. Parts of O, which was recorded in 2003, are brutally harsh, but this Dutch outfit is not an exercise in ferocity for the sake of ferocity. While some parts of this album beat, kick and pound the listener into submission, much of O isn't like that. Actually, much of the album is relatively melodic in a spacy, haunting, moody, darkly atmospheric way -- and atmospheric, of course, is a word that has often been used in connection with Neurosis, one of TransmissionO's main influences. TransmissionO's alt metal combines a strong appreciation of Neurosis with some hardcore and screamo influence; when it comes to singing, TransmissionO fluctuates between clean vocals and the type of tortured screaming that metalcore is known for. But O is a long way from metalcore. While true metalcore bands (Brick Bath, Throwdown, Hatebreed, among many others) are known for their suffocating density and their unrelenting harshness, TransmissionO really savor their atmospheric side--they really enjoy being influenced by Neurosis (who, arguably, are the closest thing alternative metal has had to Pink Floyd). There is nothing wrong with the all-brutality-all-the-time approach to alterna-metal that some bands favor; that approach can be great for pure, raw exhilaration, but it isn't the approach to expect from TransmissionO. These Dutch metalheads obviously view their bone-crushing side and their more atmospheric side as equally valid, and both sides serve TransmissionO well on this noteworthy disc.