Cloak Of Love

Blazing out of Poughkeepsie, New York comes the mecho-grind trio Genghis Tron, perfectly named for their schizophrenic attitude towards metal: one-half devastating world dictators, the other half Disney-esque computer-pop nerds. Their five-song debut EP, Cloak Of Love, finds the band waging war with conflicting influences that, in the end, commingle comfortably. Opener "Rock Candy" churns together bits of prog, hip-hop, techno, dance, and abrasive machine thrash — clumsily at first, but then the tune gets a guitar wash à la the Police's Andy Summers to close out the song in a dream state. "Arms" even has guitar tones of King Crimson's Robert Fripp amid the Dillinger Escape Plan's grind mania and groovy keyboards. "Ride The Steamboat" pits Agoraphobic Nosebleed against Fantômas, while "Laser Bitch" starts out catchy with an electro-pop intro akin to the Planet The, but then the band flips on the grinders for a final campaign into friendly Killwhitneydead territory. And "Sing Disorder" wouldn't be out of place in Ultraviolence's iPod. Adored or reviled, Genghis Tron are now nearing the head of the line in pushing the extreme music envelope.- Exclaim!