Planepacked
Transactinides

It is not everyday you come across metal where the frontperson has been through gender correction, transitioning from one place to another on a personal level. But Jessica Kagan, the front of Planepacked has done so, and things like that makes me very interested as I like things that are different. And I read about the band who wants to move boundaries musically and so on. The cover is semi-interesting, the title should suggest something about the storylines on the album. It also seems like Jessica likes the Stellaris space strategy game as Planepacked as an EP with music celebrating that game. I like that game, but it was a while since I played it now. But what about the music, is it as interesting as all the background makes it seem?

Musically it is electronic music and metal combining into something quite fresh. Lots of synths, but also metal influences, vocals that are growled and clean. I don’t like the vocals though; they are quite bad unfortunately. The good thing in that regard is that much of the album is instrumental, and I sense a video game inspiration throughout the songs. Maybe there is a gaming person behind the music. At least there is creativity behind the songs, and in that regard Planepacked’s latest effort seems far more interesting than most. The variation and depth are quite strong here as well, the playing time seems a tad on the long side though.

Transactinides isn’t a great, or even good album in my mind. It doesn’t really matter that the vocals are quite sparse throughout the ten songs, they are poor enough to lower my overall impression. The thing is that these voices plague the mind even when the music is instrumental and really immersing, and exciting, and just when you are about to forget there were poor vocals they return and ruin it again. If the vocals were done away with this would have been a great album, better vocals would probably have helped it as well as it is the quality of the vocals rather than their being in the songs that is the problem. It is obvious that Jessica is a competent writer and creator of music, but she doesn’t sing well and that might be helped by changing vocalist or working to improve the vocals, alternatively write songs that better fit the voice.

Lots of complaining about vocals, but that is the letdown of this otherwise more than fine album. Planepacked should be applauded for daring to go their own way, and difference should always be encouraged rather than discouraged, had more people been like Planepacked and Jessica there probably would have been less conflicts in the world. Still, that doesn’t really save this album from being something not really worthwhile, but you can save it by only keeping the songs that are instrumental, and that leaves a very good album – too bad it wasn’t the one Planepacked released.

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