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Machinery - Degeneration review



Reviewer:
7.8

3 users:
6.33
Band: Machinery
Album: Degeneration
Release date: 2006


01. Salvation For Sale
02. Degeneration
03. River Red
04. Blacker Than Pain
05. Unholy Demon
06. Taste Of God
07. Rectifier
08. Falling Through The Grid
09. Satanic Hippie Cannibal

Nevermore, Sanctuary, band names that instantly spring to mind when first listening to Degeneration, especially due to Michel Isberg's vocals although they are gruffier and hoarser than Warrel Dane's. But, no, it is not the new Nevermore album but the debut album by Sweden's Machinery.
Founded in 2001 Machinery had finally found a style they felt comfortable with on their fourth demo, a mixture of death/thrash and heavy metal with dual vocals according to the band. Well, thrash and heavy metal I agree with, but death? I only hear that very very sporadically, and even then it isn't that obvious. I would call the music they play a mixture of US power, thrash and heavy metal. August 2006 saw Machinery entering the studio to record this debut album called Degeneration.
So, what do we get here? Like I said, it is power/thrash in the vein of Nevermore and Into The Mirror Black era Sanctuary.
Degeneration gets of to a slow start, the first three songs not being the strongest and most memorable on the album. But once Blacker Than Pain kicks in the songs start having more of an own identity. Choruses start to nestle themselves in your brain, breaks become more fluent, vocal lines and riffs become more varied and therefore more memorable. Unholy Demon features some nice growls (maybe that was the death the band is referring to?), Rectifier features a blackened riff that won't leave my head, for the love of God. Falling Through The Grid starts off as a chuggy mid tempo power/thrash song but flows smoothly into power ballad territory with its chorus and then back to mid tempo again and come chorus time it is power ballad time once again. Certainly one of the strongest songs on the album, also due to its flowing guitar solos.
To close off the proceedings the listener gets, what is in my opinion, the strongest track on Degeneration, Satanic Hippie Cannibal. Forget the song title, just listen to it. It has everything, varied vocals, guitar parts, drumming, bass lines, and extremely subtle keyboard. Luckily the keyboard never goes off into Euro flowery power territory. The keyboards are just here to fill up the overall sound.
Degeneration is especially worth checking out for fans of solid US power/thrash in the vein of Nevermore.
Best tracks on it are the aforementioned Rectifier, Falling Through The Grid, and Satanic Hippie Cannibal.
Why not a higher mark? I hear you people ask. Well, especially due to the first three tracks, and although there is a bit of own identity (especially on the latter part of the album) it wouldn't hurt developing that aspect more. Sound wise this album is alright for a debut album, but? Let Andy Sneap lose on a Machinery with a more increased sense of identity and we'll get a killer album, I guarantee you.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 7
Production: 8

Written by Marcel Hubregtse | 13.02.2007




Comments

Comments: 2   [ 1 ignored ]   Visited by: 32 users
17.02.2007 - 15:23
Syk
myspace/bonerama
This sounds like something I'd be interested in, especially that last track. And I really like that title! Thanks for revealing this band Oz
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death ? thrash ? death/doom/prog ? Hail Zoldon!

he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays
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16.05.2007 - 11:58
Syk
myspace/bonerama
Finally checked their sites, you're right about the Nevermoreishness and the lack of identity. The ratings seem right but I wish I could hear track 9...
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death ? thrash ? death/doom/prog ? Hail Zoldon!

he's not the kind you have to wind up on Sundays
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