If there’s one thing Niklas Runstad’s solo project Aristic is known for, it’s that you should probably leave your preconceptions of his music at the door. It’s probably easier to call it “experimental”, as that’s arguably the best descriptor we can think of here. Let us explain. Aristic aims to surprise the listener, with experimentation far more important than any constantly structured sound. This has led Runstad to work with a vast array of artists as guest vocalists, as well as exploring different subgenres of rock and metal with a constantly evolving sound. To be fair, most of it will sound pretty familiar (stylistically, anyway), but any two Aristic tracks could be deathcore + nu-metal influenced, or two progressive metalcore influenced songs. It’s pretty cool.
Anyway, Runstad recently released a new album into the world in the form of Tig/Tala, which basically translates to Silence/Speak in Swedish. There’s a number of interesting tracks strewn about this 10-track record, but arguably our favorite is “Misanthrope”, which features Sean Power of Hidden Machine. It’s a song that borders on the heaviest metalcore and even deathcore have to offer (in the vocals), but yet there’s a solid melodic chorus as well. It’s this kind of diversity that is likely to rope you in, and we think you’ll be as impressed as we are.
