Tom Kazas defies definition with Metastatic, an unnerving blend of genres, a bone-tingling experience unlike any other.
Melbourne based artist Tom Kazas has released his subversive full-length record Metastatic, a blend of so many elements that it is impossible to pin down nor define just exactly what Kazas has produced. Presumably, this was his intention.
Unnerving, enticing, soothing and uncomfortable all at once, Metastatic is a beast all on its own. The record evades capture at every turn, morphing and redefining itself throughout every track.
Industrial production meets the crooning vocals and jilted piano of the fifties, Depeche Mode intertwined with a mad scientist version of Tony Bennet.
Challenging and unfailingly theatrical, Kazas offers an individuality so specific that it would be near impossible to mistake him for anyone else. Political and socially minded lyrics performed with the energy of a conceptual art piece, Kazas is arresting in his presence.
There is something alien about Metastatic, something unique and uncomfortable yet alluring; like the feeling of unavoidable entrancement that comes with passing a violent scene or viewing explicit imagery.
Kazas reels in his audience but doesn’t allow them a second of rest. With the sonic ground constantly shifting beneath his feet, Kazas offers an unsteady and unreliable journey that in its own way becomes difficult to leave behind.
With moments of trance-like synth, spoken word poetry and swing infused structure, Kazas dabbles everywhere and nowhere. Producing something painfully unique while still managing to draw comparisons from such a wide breadth of genres, eras and emotions.
Fit for the soundtrack of an underground bar in the middle of Amsterdam, or as the score to a deeply unnerving psychological thriller, Metastatic succeeds in eliciting both intellectual review and internal feeling.
With an immense otherworldly quality, Kazas creates a universe. Whether it is one that is comfortable to exist in, or one that should be fled is yet to be seen. But this paradox is at the crux of what makes Metastatic consistently interesting, if not a bone-tingling experience that is unlike any other.
Tom Kazas is the definition of an eccentric artist; one that marches to a beat created in their basement, while creating alien-like soundscapes that act as a hypnosis for mere mortals.
Listen to Metastatic below.
Review By Caitlin Norris.
Photos by Sarina Siva.
