It took me quite some time, time to think, listen and do a small research on exactly what I was getting myself into; and nothing prepared me for the “weird” out of the ordinary palette of sounds this Pittsburgh band displays on Contagion Heuristic… it is confusing, interesting, and sometimes overwhelming, as their industrial sound bites get mixed with metal and punk rock, that doesn’t fit within your “normal” preconceived way of writing and listening to music.

With cyborg like affinity for electro dissonant effects, that seem to go nowhere at times, the band flirts with and abyss of madness and mayhem that keeps you interested and wondering when is all going to fall apart. But it doesn’t, with some brushes of thrash, doom metal and a hardcore punk vocal aggression they take you back to reality and the listeners eternal quest for rhythm and longevity on every riff, another promise they fail to keep, but is the trip not the journey what’s most important some say… and what an interesting, rollercoaster of a trip it is to listen to Contagion Heuristic.

Microwaves belongs to those few bands that dare to conjure out of the ordinary, shapes and forms of writing and portraying music; blending many influences into one big piece of eclectic sounds that intrigue few, but that deserve a medal for looking at ways to wake us up from our consumption way of seen music and bringing us into a world of endless possibilities. Despite their bold mix, Contagion Heuristic fails to inspire something more than curiosity, and becomes at times repetitive with their formula of slow “doomish” atmospheres that introduce a violent reaction from time to time. Having said that Microwaves music is not for everybody, they deserve special attention and careful listeners in order to rise from the “weirdness” some might seem them as.