While we at Tuonela Magazine love our metal, it’s not the only scene we pay attention to. I, for one, have dabbled in game scores and Lady Gaga, and in more recent years, I’ve been enjoying a lot of psytrance artists, like INFECTED MUSHROOM. As such, when I stumbled upon MODERN DAY ALIEN a while ago, I was pretty blown away by what were declared to be debut or “scrapbook” albums, “Shipments“ and “Arriving,” released within a mere few months of each other. After a recent change in name, the newly dubbed BURNING HOLES IN TIME has yet to show us anything new beyond a remix of a CELERI song, released by Occult Cats. It seems the label were impressed with what our young Finn can do, as they snapped him up for this dual-release! On April 19th, 2022, “Mindspace” and “Brainwasher” will be released, but you can check them out already now here…
If there is a commonality in these tracks, its mind/brain-related names, which feels appropriate, as both tracks will worm their way straight through your ears and make themselves at home.
The first of these, “Brainwasher,” starts on an alluring ambient feel, taking its time to draw you in before the beat picks up… WAIT, psyche! Now it’s going to continue. I tip my hat to the fantastic fake-out. It continues with this catchy beat for a while, always with little details swirling around the mix to keep it interesting, before picking up the pace a little. The synth lines really add color and if you were still sitting when they hit, prepare for that to change. The use of throw-back sounds helps the song lure you in and then stay trapped in it, wondering what will happen next. Taking darker, slower turns, it’s an ever-moving trip through the soundwaves. True to the artist name, the song will burn a few holes in time as it flies by; the track is 7 minutes long, but it doesn’t feel like it.
“Mindspace,” then, starts on a more psychedelic note before the beat starts, building up nicely before entering a new area that leads up to an interesting key line that is ever-accompanied by little twists and turns in the sound to keep it spicy. Dual melodies take over, working wonderfully together as the song progresses, neither overshadowing the other. Things slow down and simplify for a moment, but like a train incoming on the tracks, you can feel the sound rushing back, slowly and surely, until it hits a strong climax. Things do slow down towards the end again, and the details in the background keep it mysterious as things wind down.
Ultimately, if artists like INFECTED MUSHROOM, OXIDAKSI, or BLISS have ever piqued your interest, you should definitely check out BURNING HOLES IN TIME and mark them on your bands-to-look-out-for list from here on out!
