040118180514 and 102119200914. No, these aren't the result of my cat stepping on my keyboard; they're pseudonyms for the members of Endspace, an experimental black metal duet hailing from Canada, who have been constantly reinforcing their "sci-fi black metal" sound through a trail of releases leading up to their debut record—or "transmission", per the record's pattern of naming each song as a sequential broadcast. Whatever is contained within First Contact, it's going to be alien as hell.
As predicted, First Contact is hypnotizingly strange. Dissonant metal genres are already on another plane of disorientation, but Endspace ramp the perplexity up tenfold, via the myriad synths, electronics, and vocoders at the duo's disposal, mostly implemented in their "singing". 040... and 120...'s vocals genuinely sound like extraterrestrial communications. After thirty-nine minutes however, the gimmick gets tiring. In fact, the second transmission alone exemplifies how overpowering their incomprehensible "vocals" can be. Across the nine transmissions, the "vocals" range from the pitch of a dog whistle to murky, gurgly depths, and once—during "Seventh Transmission"—can you pick up a robot warning the "system engaged." Everything, including that excerpt, is also always too loud for whatever mood First Contact is currently in, with zero instrumental tracks providing a much-desired break. "Ninth Transmission", is a particular offender, being constructed in a repeating calm/harsh pattern, and the recurring blasts have a high chance of blowing an eardrum or two.
It sucks, because underneath the alien mess that are the vocals, Endspace play commendable dissonant and technical black metal. The streak from the "Seventh" to "Ninth" transmissions, plus the chug-centered niceness that is "Third Transmission", all feature guitar-forward, chaotic deliciousness, whose overhaul of electronics donates a symphonic feel to the record. This helps the otherworldly atmospheres, with the positively overpowering climax of "Fourth Transmission" providing the pinnacle of symphonics. Elsewhere, keyboard lines sound like opera notes and any synth undertone majorly assists any song it's found in. The tracks without a metal attitude, however, leave room for the aforementioned annoyances that are the vocals. The "Second", "Fifth", and "Sixth" transmissions are the definite weak spots in First Contact, with the fifth leaning too much into a noisy electronic beat.
While the execution of First Contact was as experimental and wacky as I hoped it'd be, I bit off way more than I could chew with this LP. Tinny, vocoded emanations bury rather pleasing metal, resulting in a listen that I'm not anticipating returning to anytime soon, and doesn't further my desire for Endspace to make a second acquaintance.