O.L.D. — Formula (review)

Album · 1995 · Non-Metal

4/5 · 2022-07-20
siLLy puPPy

Although the New Jersey band OLD ( also O.L.D. and formerly Old Lady Driver ) only released four albums during its initial run, few bands have radically changed their style as much from album to album. While starting out as a silly grindcore parody band on the debut “Old Lady Drivers” in 1988, the band moved on to a more industrial metal sound on its sophomore release “Lo Flux Tube.” Not content sitting still for too long the third album “The Musical Dimension of Sleastak” took things deep into the world of freaky psychedelic rock and experimental weirdness. Despite the differences on all three albums, the grindcore vocals remained unchanged and although the metal elements varied, still dominated the soundscapes.

For its last act, FORMULA, the band’s fourth and final album, OLD completely shifted gears once again and pretty much abandoned all traces of metal music altogether and instead forged ahead with a unique mix of industrial rock, post-rock and electronica. In addition to these changes the band was whittled down to a mere duo with James Plotkin handing all instruments ( guitars, bass, keyboards, drum programming, tapes, sampler ) and Alan Dubin handling all vocals. This is the only OLD album where Dubin’s grindcore rasps were almost completely abandoned and instead he provided a series of vocal styles processed through a vocoder which will remind the listener a bit of Cynic’s masterful 1993 debut “Focus.”

It’s fair to say that FORMULA sounds like a completely different band with few if any traces of the past to be heard save the psychedelic post-rock style that “The Musical Dimensions of Sleastak” offered. This album has been compared to many of the Ulver albums possibly due to the fact that Norwegian band also began as an extreme metal act and completely shifted gears into the world of electronic experimental music. FORMULA is considered a notable precursor to industrial techno as it expires many hitherto unexplored aspects of techno, IDM and electronic music that took the 90s by storm. Think Auterchre, Boards of Canada and even a less abrasive sounding Skinny Puppy and you’re on the right track.

Having started out as a metal band, OLD was signed by Earache Records and due to the non-metal nature of this one became the label’s worst selling album at the time but also courtesy of the broadening of musical tastes over the ensuing decades, FORMULA has retrospectively been looked up very favorable and even extremely innovative. A very strange album indeed but much more accessible than its predecessor that went for the avant-garde jugular with bizarre psychedelic excursions into the freak zone. FORMULA is more structured, more consistent in style and less freaky overall however the neo-psychedelia and experimental approaches are still abundant in every possible way. The album also exhibits traces of progressive electronic and ambient dub.

While some may claim that there is still metal present on FORMULA, there really isn’t. Sure the bass grooves are crisp and quickly played but fast music does not equate to metal music. This is very much an avant-garde electronic album that happens to have a pronounced guitar presence and a bitchin’ bantering bass presence. There are very few extreme metal vocal styles to be heard ( small bits occur on tracks like “Thug” and “Rig” ). While all vocals prior by Alan Dubin were grindcore to the max, on this one all vocals are primarily clean and processed. Considering OLD was signed to a metal record label it was actually quite bold for them to present this to the label and even more amazing that Earache let them release it! In order for anyone to comprehend this one, you must really divorce yourself from what came before.

Metal purists will raise their fists and scream blasphemy but for those who transcend musical genres this is an excellent display of post-rock infused electronic wizardry. Sure i prefer the band’s second and third albums the best but i cannot deny that FORMULA is an excellent display of avant-garde electronic rock based genius. It’s no wonder James Plotkin is one of those musical maestros who transcends musical genres. He has been instrumental in grindcore, industrial metal, noise music, drone metal, dark ambient, digital hardcore and post-metal working with bands as diverse as Nadja, Sunn O))), ISIS, Pelican and Earth. These OLD albums simply highlight all his talents in their nascency. Personally i love every OLD album and this one is no exception.