Extinct is a meeting of giants, seeing the breakbeat-fueled leftfield industrial electronic of Meat Beat Manifesto clashing with the noise onslaught of Merzbow. As the first of the record’s two tracks, “¡FLAKKA!” settles in, it is the intricate and layered rhythmic backbone of MBM prevails, setting the tone. It is a post-club application, the staggered percussion forming complex structures and themes. Soon enough Merzbow joins in. Subtly at first, fragments of power electronics in the form of sonic beams distort the breakbeats. It feels like a stand-off, these two overwhelming forces keeping each other at bay. At that point, it feels like this will be an adversarial work, but the truth is that Merzbow and MBM feed off each other.
In one way, this is a work of complete contradiction. As “¡FLAKKA!” unfolds, it is easy to consider how this work could be easily broken down into distinct parts, creating two new works, one from MBM and another from Merzbow. And yet, when you pay closer attention you realize how inseparable these two entities are. Extinct thus becomes an exercise in co-existence, a constant push and pull between order and chaos. “¡FLAKKA!” truly highlights this process, allowing MBM to take the lead with a barrage of hard-hitting breakbeats, only for Merzbow to arrive at the center stage. The roles interchange organically, and as this process occurs over and over, it becomes clear that the fragments of each artistic intention infect the other. It is a true yin and yang result, which results in crazy rides in a high-octane vehicle through a post-apocalyptic landscape. Or, in the complete industrial sovereignty where heavy, mechanized beats drop bombs in a decadent urban environment.
The second track, “Burner” offers a twist. Here, the descent to the abstract realm is complete with Merzbow unleashing an absolute inferno of razor-sharp discharge. It is a heretical praxis that ultimately devours the soundscapes, leaving MBM’s beats to fight off this persisting snowstorm of noise. It is a frantic exercise in perseverance, sustained over the first 10 minutes of the track. The sudden drop, the glass breaking around the 10-minute mark sees a shift, at this point with MBM resurfacing triumphant, but changed. It is as if this unyielding assault has set in motion a strange evolution. At this moment, it is not only the timbre of the breakbeats that is disfigured and distorted. The rhythmic component itself has mutated, presenting a fractured and defiant manifestation.
The bottom line is that great artists are not only capable of producing astounding work on their own. It does not even mean they can produce great collaborations when they meet with others of the same caliber. What great artists are capable of is allowing their sound, and vision, to be influenced by the great ideas of others. It is about allowing room for new concepts to flourish. This is why acts like Merzbow and MBM will never go extinct.
