Considering the more popularity of the technical end of Hardcore, you’d expect the scene to be flooded with bands trying to mimic The Dillinger Escape Plan’s path to success. Fortunately for us the general public, few bands have the guts or the skill to make a serious attempt at it, as if everyone was capable of replicating that band’s sound it wouldn’t be nearly as impressive. Enter German newcomers flu.ID, who have started on Dillinger’s path but seem to have the originality not to follow it rigidly.

As you’d expect, the band isn’t an outright clone of Dillinger. There’s more of a Noise Rock influence here, perhaps induced by flu.ID’s recent tour with Unsane, and overall it sounds like an especially technical album from The Melvins, with plenty of influence from Converge. There’s a variety of songs on offer, from the early technical material to the much more Doomy likes of Revelation later on. It’s all quite enjoyable if you’re a fan of any of the bands mentioned so far, and the skilful playing will appeal to everyone else, especially the Jazzy drumming. The songs are complex enough to need several listens to really take in, and varied enough to keep you listening.

As far as catchiness goes, the Doom influences mean that the band appreciates the power of the riff, and there are quite a few moments where headbanging is appropriate. The first three tracks, Ordinary Different, Necromancer and Enthymum have a ferocious similarity to them in atmosphere although they’re clearly different songs. Elsewhere, the likes of Pens Are Friends keep the dangerous vibe going, whilst Strategy First sounds like a modern, updated version of Sludge legend Grief, with a Drone outro section. It’s finale track Taka-Takaz that is the best overall, with its groove and airy female vocals alternating with high-pitched yells.

The addition of some electronic interludes, such as New Imperial Sadism’s uncanny baby noises and Zuegli and All I Can Give’s Venetian Snares-y heaviness, work brilliantly to split up the action, although most people will skip past them after the first couple of listens, which is the danger when you add such disparate elements together and expect them to stick. Another problem is that flu.ID lack the poppy elements that Dillinger has been experimenting with recently, and so listening to this can get dull faster than you’d think. For a debut, however, it’s very impressive, and suggests great things to come if the band can bring its diversity together to create better songs. OK, you’ve impressed us with your skill; now prove that you’re a band and not just a machine.