In Silico, the Australian band’s Pendulum’s second album, sold over a million copies worldwide and catapulted them into mainstream mega-stardom in 2008. As such, you could expect the drum’n’bass artists to follow a similar agenda in their new release. However, for their third studio release, Immersion,
Pendulum have moved away from their usual lengthy headbangers, and lean towards shorter, more mainstream songs that retain their trademark heavy beats and punk attitude.
While there is a touch of ‘same old, same old’ with the second track ‘Salt in the Wounds’, the star of the album is the collaboration with metallers In Flames, ‘Self vs. Self’. A tumultuous blend of metal and dance, this track outweighs the disappointment of their less impressive efforts. Another stunner is ‘Immunize’, featuring the Prodigy’s Liam Howlett, a steadily building, immersive headbanger that is undoubtedly one of the best tracks but manages only to highlight the weakness of some of the album’s other tracks. One example would be the mismatched ‘Witchcraft’. Rob Swire’s curiously sensitive opening lyrics lead you to question whether he’s suffering from PMS and provide a massive contrast with the chaos of the rest of the track. To be frank, it doesn’t work.
Despite the occasional let downs, this album provides enough gems to satisfy Pendulum’s formidable fan base. However, regardless of the quality of the album, this style of music will always be a hit at festivals and live shows. Having previously managed several top 10 singles, Pendulum have successfully managed to make a name for themselves with the kind of dance metal crossover that has previously been absent from the mainstream. Immersion is a testament to the group’s ability to create songs with bounce and energy, well suited to the dance floor and sweaty moshpits.