Bigmoth – Carbon Error

Here at the Progspace the team strives to bring you regular news, updates and reviews. This applies not only to established progressive artists, but we are also constantly on the lookout for exciting new talent. One such band has recently come to my attention; they are from Amsterdam and go by the name of Bigmoth. They play progressive groove metal and have their debut album “Carbon Error” releasing on the 25^th of September.

After an initial foray into their YouTube videos, I concluded that further investigation was warranted. Although this is offered as an album, it’s only thirty-five minutes in length. The current drummer Jynn de Jongh isn’t on any of the five album tracks, that job was handled by Mike Malyan (Monuments). However, she does feature in the live videos available on the links below.

The tag line on their promo literature says, “It’s heavy, it’s groovy, it’s progressive…it’s a lot of things“. The opening track ‘Mantree I’ gives them plenty of room to expand on that, being 11:23 minutes long. The guitar and bass parts by Yannik Sieburg and Mikhail Voeykov respectively are lively, complex and ever changing. The vocals from Zemfira Baghirova are reminiscent of Tatiana Shmayluk (Jinjer) in parts, but she has much more in her range. The whole song is very varied and finishes with a softer atmospheric section which leads into ‘Mantree II: Coma’. This, much shorter partner of the opener has a much mellower first half with clean vocals. The tension rises slowly, almost imperceptibly, until an impending explosion feels inevitable. When it arrives, it lands in a rush of screams, growls, and heavier riffs.

The title track ’Carbon Error’ follows in the same style vocal wise, clean for the first half then the more extreme stuff. The clean half is to the accompaniment of groovy, funky rhythms with complex but melodic patterns. The style changes frequently after that, becoming more urgent and chaotic with angrier vocals. This potpourri of genres can be attributed to the influences that the individual members brought with them.

Overall, the mellowest song is ‘You’re in Everything’ but it’s not without the odd fierce outburst. Zemfira’s vocal acrobatics demonstrate her ability to sing in multiple styles. Behind her the music veers from one tempo to another, groovy one minute, heavy the next or soft and melodic, take your pick, it’s hard to keep up.

Closing this exciting and complex introduction to Bigmoth is the seven-minute ‘Meggah Konstrukt’. For this finale—hopefully only for now—the intricate variety shows no sign of letting up. The band attack from the opening moments, while Zemfira showcases her full vocal repertoire as the track moves through a seemingly endless series of changes. Yannik delivers a stunning guitar solo that ends far too soon, but that suits a track which rarely stays in one place for long. Just when it seems finished, the final minute retreats into something quiet and subdued, as if designed to ease the listener gently back to normality.

This is a young band with hopefully a very promising future. Do not be surprised if they crop up at a venue near you or one of the European festivals. I hope this debut release will propel them on to greater success, because they have bags of potential.

Track-List:

1. Mantree I
2. Mantree II: Coma
3. Carbon Error
4. You’re In Everything
5. Meggah Konstrukt