Miocene’s 2000 debut album Refining the Theory was a hybrid of Deftones’ Adreneline and Tool’s Undertow. Mimicking their American counterparts, its aggrieved-self nü metal didn’t introduce a new elements other than an English accent. The rap/rock rehash was also five years past its expiration date.

2002’s 40 minute Cellular Memory EP stepped out of the shadow of their influences, exploring electronic music whilst retaining metal passages. DJ Shadow was an obvious point of reference (even name-checked in one track title) which put the band on an interesting trajectory.

Now comes their prog-suite concept album three-plus years in the making, A Perfect Life With a View of the Swamp. An exploration in eclecticism, it’s a retake of their previous material that piles on even more subgenres. Vignettes of nü metal to drum’n’bass to jazz fusion to hip-hop, then back to prog metal.

Some sections work in isolation but the schizophrenic start/stop-on-dime theme shifts don’t give much time for ideas to breathe. The short attention span approach also can make for unintentional comedy. Instrumental song “Sympathy For Gordon Comstock” is the likely highlight with cinematic strings, increasingly-paced drum fills, and noise rock feedback that devolve into a glitched-out stutter. But a sharp pivot into rave alarms and Amen Break cut-up samples undermine the moment.

“The Fall” and “Dionysus” are the most Tool-like songs with Adam Jones-like downtuned guitar and rolling toms. Almost every review of this band mentions their obvious fore-bearers and lead singer Maynard James Keenan. For good reason – Miocene’s singer milks Maynard-isms for all they’re worth with soft-spoken melodic verses and held-note inflections for emotional peaks. It’s a competent tribute if you don’t wish to wait a decade between new Tool material.

Frequent d’n’b and jungle segues hint Tool may not be their only obsession. Also add fellow-countrymen Pitchshifter that blended loop-based breaks, punk, and industrial dating back to the early 90s.

Third track “Autopia” has a commentary on American imperialism that builds up to a Brit screaming a military march, “LEFT! RIGHT! LEFT!”, with its heightened lofi vocals compression-clipping. I assume this record was self-produced as some well-mixed electronic parts get let down by engineering on the live instruments.

I’ve been lukewarm so far in this review so let’s finally go hard. The sarcastic album title and Banksy-like dumpster billboard cover art frame this release up as a political statement. 30 seconds into opener “A Message From Our Sponsors” you’re treated to a sneered lyric about “corporate fucks”. Are we about to experience a 60 minute deep-dive into the human condition? No, we’re about to be a cornered at a house party by a uni student that recently discovered Naomi Klein and Noam Chomsky. Some sentences of naive sloganeering they’ll rap.

Nü metal isn’t known as the music genre of subtleties and it also doesn’t have authentic directness of hardcore. Miocene’s brand of bro-angst attempts to look outward but it lands in the shallow end of the kiddie pool. They’re attempting to mine the same anti-corporate sentiment hit by Rage Against the Machine and Refused years earlier, but the result is more Papa Roach than Tool.

While wishing itself to be a seamless-suite masterpiece, A Perfect Life With a View of the Swamp instead is a medley of incomplete songs exploring genres a decade out of fashion. The dour take on personal-as-political is unlikely to be the catharsis the author(s) intended.

Mean reviewer is mean.