Rhythm of Destruction

"There's every chance we may not leave this gig alive."

Writer: Darren Jones
Format: Audio
Released: November 2017
Series: NSA 31

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor

Synopsis

The Doctor arrives on the uninhabited planetoid Quish, famous for having the biggest natural amphitheatre in the galaxy. The Blitzats Jazz Quartet are playing - but, shortly after their gig, the planetoid explodes.

Teaming up with ambitious journalist Tommy Loco, the Doctor learns that wherever the Quartet play, they leave a trail of destruction in their wake: someone dies; a city is wiped out; an entire planet vanishes... But why - and how?

Searching for answers, the Doctor and Tommy trail the Quartet, following leads and seeking out frightened contacts. It's a dangerous investigation - and for the Doctor, answers lie close to home.

Verdict

Rhythm of Destruction was a very decent little audio adventure! I enjoyed it and whilst there were a few things that could have been improved, it was a good story. The Twelfth Doctor travelling alone is somewhat of a scary prospect but I can't say I'm surprised that he would be looking to catch a band somewhere in the galaxy. We saw the likes of that occur in The Twist so it didn't surprise me here. I thought Dan Starkey was a very good narrator and I really liked his impression of Peter Capaldi's Doctor. The problem sometimes with the NSA audios is that there's just one reader and that can make a story sometimes a tad difficult to follow or maintain interest. However, that wasn't the case here though and the differing characters all sounded distinct which is an incredibly important occurrence. Quish was a good setting for the small portion of the audio that it remained intact and the concept of the Blitzats Jazz Quartet being the key for a number of incredible destructions was really intriguing. Tommy investigating the links they had with deaths, city wipeouts and planetary disaster was good. He got on well with the Doctor after a little bit of a shaky start and I thought his inability to actually be a journalist was quite humorous. He sensed the trail and the possibility of a story with the Quartet but he couldn't quite put things together. As the Doctor pointed out, he was asking all of the questions but couldn't put a link together. The revelation that Jamella was actually the client of the Quartet was a little bit of a surprise but it actually worked well. Her backstory being that she was a member of the Dreed was interesting and the Doctor's history with that species was her motive for planetary destruction. That occurring through music was a theme I really liked and I don't think there could have been a better fit than with the Twelfth Doctor. He wasn't into jazz though, he made that clear. Jamella's annoyance at the fact he only vaguely remembered the peace he introduced to her species was good but the Doctor was one step ahead at all times. She'd made him incredibly angry in trying to get his attention through destruction and he would have no mercy. Her fate was very good and I liked how he saw that she would be seen to justice through her own action of releasing the escape pod. The current Quartet realising that they too were victims and just pawns in her grand scheme was decent too but perhaps came a little late. Still, I liked it and overall I thought this was a good audio adventure!

Rating: 7/10