In scientific terminology, a ribozyme is an RNA molecule and a catalyst – that is, a molecule that is capable in instigating a reaction. Ribozymes are a necessary component to the chemical creation of life. Ribozyme are certainly attempting to pay their namesake homage in this album, which functions as a series of musical experiments.
After the light, treble-heavy and slightly melancholic opening tracks, “Leverage” changes the game with a squealing, experimental horn section and frenetic pace. This willingness to borrow from various genres and influences continues with “Over The Galvanized,” which may be the most industrial, straightforwardly metal-influenced track on the record; “Caskets,” a gloomy, synthy pop-rock ballad; and the mournful alternative rock piece “Downside Advantage.”
For someone who listens to a great deal of heavy metal, Ribozyme's take on hard rock can come across as disarmingly light. They play with treble much more that bass, and have an overall bright sound to their instrumentation. The music is darkened subtly and given more overall texture by the emotional timbre of the album, which tends towards the morose and melancholic. A far cry from anything like doom metal, there is still a lilt of sadness to the record that casts a slightly sour shadow over the otherwise sweet tones.
Ribozyme certainly have a wide range of music skills and influences to draw from, and borrow from each with equal aplomb. But even after multiple spins, the audience is left wondering how it all fits together. All the songs do have a common conceptual thread, in that all of them are defined by a sense of dissatisfaction and melancholia. This works to a certain extent, but without a more cohesive narrative the individual songs feel lonely – which may, in fact, actually be a deliberate part of Presenting The Problem's construction.
(released February 14, 2012 on Indie Recordings)
