300 Percent Density Candiria Century Media Records, 2001 Buy it online Tracks 1: 300 Percent Density 2: Signs of Discontent 3: Without Water 4: Mass 5: Constant Velocity Is As Natural As Being At Rest 6: Words From The Lexicon 7: Channeling Elements 8: Advancing Positions 9: The Obvious Destination 10: Contents Under Pressure 11: Opposing Meter   Reviewed by Linda Richards	This is the reason you turn to critique -- music, books, it doesn't matter: you're looking for this kind of find. Because amid the rivers of sludge that inevitably get tossed your way, every so often you come across something so perfectly executed it almost makes your heart stop. In the case of Candiria's latest album, 300 Percent Density, it's not merely that the execution is flawless -- which it certainly is. More to the point, in Candiria we have a talented fivesome pushing out of envelopes we didn't even know existed. It's heady stuff. At the core of the matter, Candiria is a metal group, but to define them thus doesn't even come close to describing either what the band is about or what kind of music it is they're making. Named one of Rolling Stone magazine's "Ten Most Important Metal Bands," the music does lean toward the truly heavy end of things. But the pure musical virtuosity and the variety of style and substance put Candiria in a league of their own. Candiria dares to mix some unlikely licks in with their metal. Fusing elements of jazz, rap, funk and electronica into a sort of avant garde abstraction, 300 Percent Density ends up being a fitting name for both this well conceived and produced album and the six-minute-plus track that opens the album and lends it its name. "300 Percent Density," -- the song, not the album -- is pure 21st century metal. Little fusion here: just ultra-tight musicianship throughout the demanding track highlighted by frontman Carley Coma's ear splitting vocals and some amazing guitar work by Eric Mathews. The title song sets the tone for the album: On 300 Percent Density Candiria are in exceptional form, even for them. Their fourth album, 300 Percent Density will likely also be the band's breakthrough album: the fusion elements are seamlessly integrated. The result is a smooth, polished whole that is difficult not to admire. While jazz elements crop up throughout the album, they are best displayed on "Constant Velocity Is As Natural As Being At Rest." The intro and some of the interludes put one in mind of early Miles Davis: mellow and in control. But the jazz here is like punctuation: the mellow control gives way to classic modern metal, but don't get comfortable there, either. In a heartbeat or two, we're put in mind of Miles again. It's a wild ride. "Words From The Lexicon" is the least fused track on 300 Percent Density. This is almost pure rap: but the harmonious, syncopated rap that's mostly been pushed under by a heavy onslaught of derivative chartmakers. In "Words From The Lexicon" we hear all of the voices that make up Candiria: overlapping in an elegant ghetto dance that, for me at any rate, provided one of the high points of an already memorable album. It's magic: but this is also the one track on the album that bears scarcely a trace of metal. Candiria closes 300 Percent Density with "Opposing Meter," a 21 minute epic that blends a strong element of electronica with the band's starkly metal beats. A perfect cooling-off close to an album that otherwise doesn't waste a lot of time inviting you to breathe. 300 Percent Density is one of my favorite albums of the year thus far: a worthy showcase for an extremely talented band. Candiria. Remember the name: I wager you'll be hearing it again. | May 2001   Linda Richards is the editor of Blue Coupe magazine.	At the core of the matter, Candiria is a metal group, but to define them thus doesn't even come close to describing either what the band is about or what kind of music it is they're making. The pure musical virtuosity and the variety of style and substance put Candiria in a league of their own.