Matt Warren, drummer and vocalist for Hobart two-piece Machines of Indeterminate Origin, once made a documentary about kraut rock. It shows. From beginning to end, 0.5 – Presumption is an exercise in careful, artful repetition. Minimal in movement but very loud and very heavy they couldn’t be better named: they sound like machines.

Opener ‘M010’ begins with intermittent guitar washes of distortion before an ominous droning chord is struck and held. It’s struck again and the drums begin a sparse pattern. There’s a change: finally a beat is carried and a riff is played and Warren sings. His voice is pure texture and rhythm, as taut as his drumming, and he barks out vocals that are reminiscent of Godflesh-era Justin Broderick, the Page Hamilton of early Helmet and maybe a little of Australian contemporaries The Mark of Cain. Of all things, the track ends with a touch of xylophone but you won’t hate them for it: it’s one of a few concessions to melody found here. Later (during ‘The Hunt’) they will employ a horn section with similarly agreeable results.

For a recording made in a shed, the production is crisp and well balanced. Warren also brings a little of his work in sound art to proceedings. Indeed, there are subtle shifts in texture, droning reverberation and a sense of play more common in sound art than rock or metal. Guitarist Aaron Metcalf’s playing is also suitably restrained: dissonant and metallic or booming and sludgy as required. He makes such good use of the guitar’s bottom end that I don’t re-imagine them with a bass player or atmospherics as I occasionally have with other guitar/drum two-pieces.

Ultimately, this release passes by merit of its carved-out details and unexpected flourishes. MOIO are still mapping out their sound here, as most bands tend to on their debut release, and they’re certainly not bereft of ideas. What they do next - be it a string of live shows, touring or more recording – will no doubt be of interest to listeners looking for something brutal and bludgeoning that sidesteps the expected as often as it delivers familiar thrills.

by Ian Rogers