The Facts
Formed in 1999 in Toronto, Tallman immediately put together a self-financed and self-produced debut album. The CD was essentially a marketing tool for their live shows, which began to gain them notoriety in the Toronto music scene. Energetic and captivating, Tallman soon began playing sold-out shows.
Aperature Music, the label that produced their first full-length album (Mechanism), was formed by Tallman in June 2001 as a partership with Mike Apted.
Tallman is:
Jason Toner - Vocals
Paul Agricola - Guitar
Richard Fairthorne - Bass
Rick Welbanks - Drums
Prior to Sept. 2002, Andrew Lauzon played bass. The band parted ways with Mr. Lauzon over "creative differences" and brought in Richard Fairthorne to replace him.
The Discography
Inoculation (1999, self-produced)
- Pacafist
- A Blinder Point of You
- Tarnished
- Paperweight
- Hollywood
- Sinker
Mechanism (2002, Aperture Music)
The Opinion
Tallman's sound combines a heavy, gritty sound with intelligent lyrics and an energetic presentation. The sound is reminicent of the likes of Tool*, Alice In Chains, and Deftones. They are, however, no cheap knock-off. They bring their own sound fully to the front. Mechanism is a brooding work of political anger. It seethes and assaults; it pulls no punches. And yet, in the angry vein of Rage Against the Machine, the brooding anger still rocks.
On the other hand, the album certainly has its faults. Many of the lyrics, while they get the point across, seem a little immature. The last track on Mechanism, "Beneath the Killing Floor," hopefully hints at better things to come. It is by far the best track on the album. Every member of the band seems to contribute on this one, each instrument (including Toner's vocals/lyrics) blending better than on the rest of the album.
* In fact, the producer of Tool's albums, Ms. Silvia Massy Shivy, produced Tallman's second CD.
Sources: Tallman.org, fateback.com
Interestingly, I stumbled across this group on slashdot of all places.