Four Stroke Baron – Data Diamond (Review)

Four Stroke Baron are a progressive metal band from the US and this is their fourth album.

This is my first encounter with Four Stroke Baron, but it’s a very favourable one. Containing 41 minutes of material, Data Diamond is packed to the hilt with multifaceted content. Strap in, it’s going to be a wild one.

Data Diamond puts me in mind of a mix of 80s, 90s, and contemporary influences that have been successfully combined in just the tight ratios. According to the promo blurb Data Diamond was originally conceived as two separate EPs with different styles – one electronic and one heavy – and you can feel this merging of worlds across the record.

Four Stroke Baron have an idiosyncratic style that manifests as a mix of progressive metal, electronica, experimental rock, pop, djent, and industrial. It’s an individual affair, and the closest reference points I can think of would be a mix of acts like Bear, Thot, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Faith No More, Moby, and The Cure. Make of that what you will.

The songs are labyrinthine, atypical, and distinctly non-standard. I’m unfamiliar with Four Stroke Baron’s previous work so don’t know how Data Diamond compares stylistically, but this is definitely the sound of a band pushing themselves. It’s unusual and occasionally jarring, yet remarkably endearing and personable. Hidden in plain sight amidst the chaotic smörgåsbord of sounds and ideas are clear hooks and a focus on catchiness. Four Stroke Baron know how to write a good tune, they then just mangle it in creative ways that somehow manage to leave the appealing core of it intact.

Quirky, charismatic, and unexpected, Data Diamond is not an average album by an average band. Of course, with something like this, it certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste, but it’s good nonetheless. Four Stroke Baron’s sound is an engaging one that grows on you over time. Data Diamond is an enigma waiting to be unwrapped, boasting an array of styles all blended into one fascinating and enjoyable whole.