Imicus – Animal Factory

As mentioned in my review of Chevelle’s recent release, SiFi Crimes, I have a flakey relationship with hoe hum radio rock in the vein of Theory of A Dead Man and Nickleback.  The mid-tempo pace, recycled riffs and repetitive verse-chorus-verse structure puts me to sleep without fail.  Consequently, when I ran across samples of hard rockers Imicus, I initially dismissed the dark quartet as another spineless rock outlet.  However, despite blending in with today’s masses of System of a Down clones, Imicus is a band that easily gets under your skin, serving as a reminder to why rock has so fully penetrated the mainstream psyche.

For their fourth album, Animal Factory, Imicus develops a strong and easily accessible sound.  It’s edgy without being intimidating, and inviting without feeling like a pushover.  Lead vocalist Miller’s pitch falls in line with mainstream radio rockers like the aforementioned Theory Of A Dead Man, but with a grim edge of Tool’s ­­­­James Maynard Keenan.  For example, on Animal Factory’s opener and title track, Miller pelts listeners with a dark spectrum ranging from deep whispers to strained, assaultive barks.  He even breaks down into a momentary near growl for a particularly visceral conclusion.

However, even with solid underpinnings, Animal Factory can feel prescribed.  As with most ready for radio artists, Imicus never strays too far from melody.  In other words, when the band takes chances, they do so without ever fully committing to what might otherwise be an interesting tangent.  For a prime case see “An Isolation Dawn,” a track that finds the band introducing ominous acoustics in the vein of A Perfect Circle, but quickly plunges back to safe ground with a very plugged-in chorus.  In such instances they leave listeners wondering what may have been had Imicus more fully considered this rich and reflective sound.

Furthermore, another shortcoming can be found in track length.  With most tracks clocking in at four minutes plus, some tend to drag.  Those, like “The Butterfly Effect,” use their time wisely, inserting catching solos and smart tempo shifts, but others like “The Icarus Principle,” dwell in tiresome, repetitive riff sequences.  Thankfully the band is constructive more often then not, so these points typically conclude before they cause any real damage.

Even so, Animal Factory is a very listenable album that while borrowing from established acts, does its thing well enough to earn most listeners’ forgiveness.  Even from the perspective of a skeptic the album never feels stale.  So while Imicus might have built their sound from genre landmarks, their obvious competency keeps them relevant and engaging.