Not being a fan of emo at all, it took me a while to get into Terraforming due to its influence here (mainly in the vocal department). Nonetheless, THE POSTMAN SYNDROME have succeeded in delivering an ambitious and well-performed debut album. The band has a diverse variety of influences, such as everything from CAVE-IN, CANDIRIA, POISON THE WELL to RADIOHEAD and TOOL. But they still manage to put their own spin on things by incorporating three guitar players and vocals, which alternate between emo and spoken word to harsh screaming and hardcore shouting. The band calls Terraforming “a story in eight parts”, even though each song seems to tell it’s own story. Lyrically, the songs are very abstract and metaphorical. With the lyrics being just as involved as the music that accompanies them, the songs offer several ways for the listener to interpret them. Terraforming is definitely an album that takes several listens to get into, mainly since there’s a large variety of changes and ideas. While it’s doubtful that the average CANNIBAL CORPSE or SLIPKNOT fan will find much to like about the album, the band still succeed in creating something different. And in these days of trendy copycat music, that’s a big accomplishment. (Now or Never)