Semantik Punk - abcdefghijklmnoprstuwxyz (2012)

Highly recommended for the fans of The Dillinger Escape Plan or The Locust is honestly the best description I can think of now, and still hardly nail it at all. If there is anything that eludes virtually any label, this must be the music of Semantik Punk. The four-piece from Warsaw, formerly known as Moja Adrenalina, make music that is not only awkward to review, but also quite difficult to swallow at first. Considering this, there are only two ways to handle the album: you either absolutely love it, or hate it.


Abcdefghijklmnoprstuwxyz is the band's debut (disregarding the band's work under former name) and, believe it or not, took somewhere around seven years to make. The songs deny any logical rules that would apply to rock music in its broadest sense, and once you play the album, you quickly realize this is not the kind of hardcore, punk, metal, extreme whatever you name it that you have been listening to for years. Abcdefghijklmnoprstuwxyz introduces you into the world of pure sonic (and lyrical, for that matter) extravaganza with initial jazzy, soothing sounds of semantik punk.

And yes, to an untrained ear, most of the riffs further down the album resemble the sound of a bunch of empty soda cans rolling in a tumble dryer. The screams you hear make you think of a furious witch. However, as soon as you immerse into the songs' dense structure, it all turns out actually quite biting and catchy. And here is where this album really shines: when you realize that these noises are actually amazing songs, complex as they might initially appear, but ones you could easily sway to. Instruments-wise, all clicks into place. The insanely roaring sound of bass carefully pounds its way across the noise. That's right, do not get fooled my friends, as underlying all this wild guitar riffage, there is a solid amount of drum and bass work weaving complex unison polyrhythmic structures, with the opening sounds of y dopatrzenia or ugiecie pa as best examples.

The album is relatively short, spanning merely 23 minutes, but this is just as long as you need to keep your vestige of sanity. Following the last song on the album, there is an equal amount of drone guitar noise, properly balancing the preceding sonic tornado. Punishing and noisy as it gets at times, Abcdefghijklmnoprstuwxyz does not lack a proper balance of catchy and atmospheric moments like jest to a, or even phrases you might actually call choruses in trzepak drapak.

For what it's worth, Meshuggah are sworn fans of the band's music, inviting Semantik Punk to support Meshuggah live. Should that not suffice to encourage you to give these guys a try, a thing to remember: it is Ross Robinson who produced the album. Now, go get it.