“Designing Chaos” is the tenth album of Giacomo "Jack" Casile solo project, JACK BRAIN, created in 2015 with the desire to personalize a sound that was initially based on the alternative rock and grunge of the 90’s. The new work shows up like a mix of the various musical experiences accumulated over the years and various influences that have followed in his artistic journey. The jazz and progressive atmospheres clash with the industrial and alternative rock ones, generating a sound full of symbiotic contrasts; on the one hand nocturnal and atmospheric, on the other mechanized and aggressive. Two different souls that meet in an intricate and complex puzzle with dark and introspective tones but also with a hint of sarcastic irony.

The album has ten songs, and “Defused” is first. It has an odd melody, that is, something out of the ordinary, and something not easy to connect with. There is also a disconnect with the key of the vocals and the key of the riff. “Glimmer” has a heavy, fuzzy riff and an Alternative sound, but again, there is a strong disconnect with the vocals. “Chemical Burn” is another strange song. I’m not exactly sure what type of sound he is interested in pushing, but this is odd and weird music, and unfortunately, not in the good way. “Timshade” is another discordant, displeasing sound.

“Coil” has a little better connection, but it still remains a difficult sound to listen to. “Infection” is yet another difficult sound to listen to. The entire time the album was playing, I could feel the sour look on my face. “The sweet decadence” is longer, which means the dissonant sound has more time to grate against my sense of melody. Sometimes, I get the feeling that he is lost on where to take the sound. “Serpentine” closes the album, and I don’t think I have ever been more excited for an album to end. It has a more straightforward blues sound, but is still odd.

This type of music can be done one of two ways in my opinion. The first way is to go all in on the dissonance…embrace it, push it, and let it fill your ears with the sweet sounds of dismay. The second way, and that it what we have here, is to guise the dissonance by trying to push vocal melodies, but when that fails, what we have left is an awful sound.