HEAD CONTROL SYSTEM is the brainchild of ULVER front man Kristoffer “Garm” Rygg, and (not unlike Tchort’s recent GREEN CARNATION output) it marks another digression into radio-friendly territory by a Norwegian avant-metal icon. The artwork and photo layout for “Murder Nature” will prepare your little ears for a painful dose of starlet-boinkin’, tat & skull cap metal with that “most dangerous dude at the Old Navy store” vibe. Thankfully, once the music starts, wince-ometer readings go way down and you’ll even relax your toes from their clenched position from time to time.

ULVER fans won’t be trading in their copies of “Nattens Madrigal” for this puppy, but that’s hardly the point. The eleven tracks presented here demonstrate Garm’s ability to create contemporary rock songs suitable for the latest action movie soundtrack, but not entirely devoid of his elegant musical brush strokes.

It’s a rocky ride. The in-between bits like “Blunt Instrumental” and “Kill Me” are gorgeous, haunting transition pieces that recall the ambient brilliance of ULVER’s recent “Blood Inside” opus. Unfortunately, such graceful pieces often drop the listener off at Dud Central. For example, “Masterpiece [of Fine Art]” sounds like their contribution to a LINKIN PARK tribute album. “Seven” is an airy rocker that hints at tremendous percussive power a la TOOL, but never uncorks it. True, Garm and ex-SIRIUS drummer Daniel Cardoso show a knack for adding Floydian twists, haunts, and drama to their songs (for evidence, look to standout track “Rapid Eye Movement”, I mean those TRAPT guys would kill to write songs like that). But in the end, multiple listens to “Murder Nature” fail to provide much more than faceless (albeit sophisticated) background music. While the GREEN CARNATION guys adapted the pop metal framework and took it out for a high-speed spin, Garm and Cardoso sound limited and even suffocated by it.

- Marchman

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