Ten years ago, Tardigrade Inferno released their first eponymous EP. Since then, the Russian band has expanded their quirky and sinister universe, making spooky fun parties their trademark. A circus made up of cabaret, Danny Elfman, heavy riffs, nu-metal influences, a touch of punk enthusiasm, plump monsters waddling in the darkness and things drooling under the bed... in short, worthy successors to bands like Stolen Babies, but more straight-forward. Hush is their third album and, after ‘burning the circus’ on the previous one, we're happy to reunite with this grimacing carnival and the familiar pleasure of a candyfloss made of viscera.
Tardigrade Inferno begins with the end. The Final Show serves as the curtain raiser. Creepy melodies, theremins from beyond, theatrical vocals as expressive as ever... We're starting to know the recipe by heart. That doesn't mean we don't enjoy it. Children's rhymes (All in Your Head, with its mix of martial rhythms and barrel organ, works very well, try to picture KoRn doing their monstruous parade), liveliness (Deadly Fairytales and its simple, in-your-face, catchy riffing, which contrasts with the xylophone punctuations), gothic melancholy in the style of a musical from beyond the grave (Dead Fish Smile)... With Hush, the funfair is full of acts that are as enticing as they are disturbing.
This is where Tardigrade Inferno's strength lies, in its hybrid tone that combines frankly grim elements with a desire to entertain, to wrap up the sordidness in a pirouette. The glitz of the curtains does not hide the grime, but the grime does not spoil the taste of sweets either. However, there is a noticeable ambition to broaden the usual horizons (the very nice orchestral intro to Subatomic Heist, the screeching solo in Hide'n'Seek, which is both narrative and evocative of monsters as endearing as they are hungry).
As usual, it's when Tardigrade Inferno embraces its darkness that we like it best. Sure, juggling guts is fun, but nothing beats a good dose of blues. Hush seems more haunted than usual, much like its last part. First there's Goor, with its electronic oddities, poetic darkness and wolf-like howling lament, followed by a frightening title track where despair takes over the urge to dance, and then, in a final pirouette, a final number consisting of a beautifully crafted cinematic intro (Hypograph and its haunted house piano) before I Am Eternal, a baroque conclusion with grandiloquent choirs and moaning guitars.
After this final attraction, both epic and poignant, we find ourselves in a situation somewhat akin to when the lights go out and it's time to sleep. So let's make a pact with Tardigrade Inferno: come on, let's listen to Hush one more time and we promise, when we grow up, we'll join the circus. In the meantime, please don't eat us. All this may resemble previous albums, but it's still as playful and well done as ever, so don't deny yourself the pleasure and come and lose yourself under the tent of this dark big top.
