Twelve Foot Ninja - Silent Machine

BE READY I'M COMING FOR YOU!

At first glance and listen, the band didn't have much to offer in ways of game changing.  The first song "Coming For You" showcased some great promise for Melbourne's Twelve Foot Ninja and their debut LP "Silent Machine".  The song had that radio friendly melody while at the same time offering that low end breakdown that the rock/metal industry craves for.  I admit that the tempo and structure of the song changes drastically as they seem to go from metal to Latino to funk and then full circle.  A bit hard to wraps ones head around initially but after letting the groove sit in and blend with the vocals of Kin I was starting to get a bit of repeat on the playlist.  These guys have been together for 5+ years now (established in 2008) and seemed to have found the right formula for both music and music videos.



"I first heard you guys and I immediately thought a great fusion of really groovy and solid heavy metal with a touch of Frank Zappa esque zany-ness that keeps everything so interesting to listen to." -dmanandcmac

Now I'm not the biggest guy for band comparisons but I can understand why names like Zappa, Mike Patton, Coheed & Cambria and others have been thrown around to compare these guys.  Like I mentioned the other day when having a conversation about TFN, they are not necessarily a game changer but have paved a style that works with them and their fans.

Twelve Foot Ninja consists of:

Kin - vocals | Steve "Stevic" MacKay - lead guitar | Damon McKinnon - bass guitar

Shane "Russ" Russell - drums | Rohan Hayes - rhythm guitar, backing vocals

1. Coming For You
2. Kingdom
3. Mother Sky
4. Shuriken
5. Vanguard
6. Deluge
7. Liberation
8. Silent Machine
9. Rogue
10. Myth Of Progress
11. Ain't That A Bitch
12. Luna

The album was produced by lead guitarist Steve MacKay, while the mixing process was collaborated by Christian Scallan and Tetsuya ‘Ted’ Furuhashi. The final mastering of the album was done in LA by Howie Weinberg (who has also done work with Deftones, Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, Muse, and more). If that weren't enough, he band also worked with UK artist Keith Draws to produce a 72 page comic book.  You can check out more of the comic info HERE.

"We released 12 x digital tracks along with 12 x comics over 12 weeks in the lead up to our debut album SILENT MACHINE.  Each comic is based on the corresponding song’s lyrics, and inspired by fable of Twelve Foot Ninja (co-written by Stevic). Acclaimed comic artist Keith Draws (UK) worked closely with the band to produce the 12 x 6pg comics." -TFN

Now I release to the mother sky

All I have to transmute this illusion

I lost my grip but I have you now

How can this be? I have become my enemy

Major music websites such as Metal Sucks have equally gotten the idea of this band and have even repeated feelings I myself thought about these guy upon first, second and third listen (haha).

Ever since Periphery guitarist Jake Bowen sent us a link to Twelve Foot Ninja’s video for “Mother Sky” I’ve been hooked. I watched that video at least three times that day, and the creepy kabuki girl imagery therein quite literally infected my dreams that night. I listened to all the samples the band had on their website and eagerly awaited the release of Silent Machine. I bought the album as soon as I could and I’ve been jamming it ever since; might’ve listened to it four times this past weekend alone. -Metal Sucks

The bird slips out of my hand,

And into the heart of the enemy!

I happy to report that since discovering these guys they have announced a 2013 North American tour alongside fellow Australian musicians Dead Letter Circus US's Periphery & Born of Osiris.  Should be a mighty good time as I am a big fan of all four bands! (only three on the stops in Canada but...meh)

So if y'all are looking for a change of pace with your music while at the same time not diverting away from your core grooves, Twelve Foot Ninja's Silent Machine is a great way to keep your day going.  I don't know about all of you but even after going to three nights of concerts this week, I STILL had TFN tunes ringing in my head.  "Silent Machine" has already seen a release in Europe and Australia but fans in North America will have to wait until October, 2013 for a chance to pick it up.  Recommended AFGM tracks for "Silent Machine" are:

Coming For You | Kingdom| Mother Sky | Shuriken | Deluge