Max Histrionic is behind the ever-amped Californian one man band, Chameleon Technology. Founded in August 2009, the project was first jump-started through the debut release of 5 songs from his Aquatic EP. Histrionic has played in various local bands as a drummer all the while collecting material for the self-titled album of his solo project.
For Histrionic’s latest Blank Canvas EP, he channels a bit of metal, punk and industrial music into Chameleon Technology’s sound.
For the driving metal beat, Histrionic utilizes in his vocals a method of spewing lyrics via a means of screaming and shouting in intervals. In “No Safe Word,” listeners will get the full effect of this ordeal. Sometimes the sensation can be slightly discomforting as the driven punk music soaks in.
Histrionic vents here in “Serin’s Vending” with a throaty guffaw, but the screams will have to go on the backburner as the stronger backbone happens to be the drumming beat. Those who are thrown by the deliberate rage are merely getting themselves acquainted to the realm of progressive rock, punk and metal genres that Histrionic is enhancing. His sure-fire style in executing these tracks will have new followers and loyal fans of rock and metal alike embracing the music.
The socially aware track will ignite in listeners a passion for social change as Histrionic’s vocals engages in them some of the melodic elements that were lost on the prior tracks to the album. There is less shouting here in “Self Repair” than before but listeners will definitely wake up from the raw issues that the track brings up. The deranged aspects of the song go on to feature a lot of clashing and swift banging around on the drums.
“Blank Canvas” is the title track and the final track to the EP. The social aspects clashes with the effective music, making for an unexpected sound. While at the same time, the striking and strong vocals compete with the fervor of drumming to get heard overhead. This makes for a loud and surprising, chaotic sort of music.
The music video to “Blank Canvas” has Histrionic playing on all the instruments and singing in the lead vocals. The psychological aspect of the video has a girl wandering down a walkway down some mysterious tunnels. A doorway that leads from the darkness to another world opens up from the girl’s bedroom. She walks into a leaves covered woodsy pathway, just awakening to the sounds of music being wreaked havoc upon. It seems the concept behind this music video is about doubles – from identity to the strange occurrences in the video. The music video ends as the girl walks up to her mysterious doppelganger lying down on the forest floor.
Chameleon Technology’s front man sings with some shot vocals (maybe from all that screaming) that heightens the effect of the music from a voice that bears a husky and bewildering resonance. The tundra of sounds that come from the ordered chaos that is the track EP, Blank Canvas, isn’t just all about noise. The songs that spring forth one to another arrive in rather quick succession. These are relentless tracks as one races from another – the longest song is around three minutes long.
Chameleon Technology proves himself to be musically adaptable as he does everything himself on his solo project. Histrionic syncs audio of himself playing bass and drums with live action video of him performing both instruments and then is projected next to him playing guitar and singing live.
It is a requisite for listeners to place themselves in the right mind frame when listening to Histrionic’s music. Chameleon Technology’s sound can be taken the wrong way if one is not in the mood for his taste of punk aesthetic. But in order to get the full effect of the EP, listeners will only need a couple of well-working speakers that will take them beyond their normal status-quo.