Maximum The Hormone - Mimi Kajiru EP (2016)

Mimi Kajiru is a mere EP from the Japanese experimentalists, who seem to mix together elements of everything from punk to Nu-Metal to djent and a lot of other things. They're not as obscure as they used to be, especially since performing for the first time in the US during last year's Knotfest event. These songs also incorporate J-Rock as expected, as well as some silliness. There's a lot of silliness utilized here on the vocals, almost the kind of thing that you'd expect from Mike Patton. This time around, these guys really tend to love their punk, which you'll hear utilized just as much as the heavier Nu-Metal sections, where the harsh vocals appear. In a song from Maximum The Hormone, it's not too out of character for a track to turn from a happy punk anthem to something that sounds like thundering metallic mayhem. Think Dir En Grey a little, perhaps towards their earlier era. It's obvious that they were having a lot of fun with this one and it feels like a good snack in between their last record and a possible upcoming release. There's just twenty minutes of music here, but between the many different shades of music the listener will digest, it's going to sound a lot longer. Unexpected things like the telephone message and the children's choir appear on this record as well, making for an even more random sense of things. It's not my favorite of their releases, but it's certainly not bad for an EP and gets surprisingly heavy during some sections. But you can't expect any one thing from Maximum The Hormone, nor would we ever want that. It's obvious that fans of Slipknot and their style would certainly find something in the down-tuned riffs and vocal delivery laden within these tracks, but they'll be forced to open up their palette to new ideas of which they might not be keen to at first - especially with all the roaring punk influence. I'd say to give it a shot if you can find it, because it is worth a listen or two. But they've delivered better in the past and will no doubt deliver even better in the future.

(7 Tracks, 20:00)

7/10