Instinct Gate

The black metal scene produces many bands, so many that it is hard to believe that a formula has actually developed for this music. But it has, and the blueprints for the genre start to become clearer as time goes by. Take Tidfall as an example. On "My Wrathful Eyes," the third song on 2002's Instinct Gate, the band illustrates the pattern quite well. A memorable opening riff that is revisited here and there, demonic vocal effects for the singer, hyperactive drumming that follows the guitar part and tries to double-time it, and the ever-present synthesizer that pokes its head up every so often — these are the elements that make up not only this song but the entire album. Tidfall is quite good at performing this sort of music, showing all the necessary chops and rage to make it a proper platter of death. And the album is not half-bad, especially when the band experiments with industrial sounds and techniques. But, much like Fear Factory's first album, they only hint at these industrial leanings and often fall back on the clichés of their own genre instead of experimenting further. They have the potential to grow and become a very original force in their field but, as of this album, Tidfall is simply another black metal band in a genre that grows ever larger.