Brutal Deluxe - Divine Head
Dreamcatcher - 2000
By Philip Whitehouse
There's a steady, unstoppable wave coming over Britain at the moment. A host of talented metal bands are rising up from the depths of obscurity to take their rightful place amongst the metal mainstream (in as much as that phrase isn't an oxymoron). Riding the crest of the wave are Brutal Deluxe.
While it will undoubtably be labelled nu-metal, what it really sounds like is a more sinister System Of A Down being hit over the head with a spade by a neutered Nasum. Faster and heavier than most nu-metal bands care to play these days, Brutal Deluxe don't skimp on the melody of their songs either.
They are also the masters of attack and decay - a song can build up into a punishing riff, before dropping back to a quiet, palm-muted melody then gradually exploding into a storm of frenetic drumming and inhuman riffage. The best example of this lies on opening track 'Soulmurder'.
The vocals are adequate, if not exactly dripping with mind-blowing talent. The drummer however deserves special credit - he must have either extra arms or extra cymbals on his drumkit to make that kind of a racket (but a racket in a good way). In fact, the whole rhythm section of the band is excellent, with bass actualy providing the grounding for the song rather than just 'being there' as in most bands these days.
If you can find a copy of the album, check it out. It's well worth it.
Dreamcatcher - 2000
By Philip Whitehouse
There's a steady, unstoppable wave coming over Britain at the moment. A host of talented metal bands are rising up from the depths of obscurity to take their rightful place amongst the metal mainstream (in as much as that phrase isn't an oxymoron). Riding the crest of the wave are Brutal Deluxe.
While it will undoubtably be labelled nu-metal, what it really sounds like is a more sinister System Of A Down being hit over the head with a spade by a neutered Nasum. Faster and heavier than most nu-metal bands care to play these days, Brutal Deluxe don't skimp on the melody of their songs either.
They are also the masters of attack and decay - a song can build up into a punishing riff, before dropping back to a quiet, palm-muted melody then gradually exploding into a storm of frenetic drumming and inhuman riffage. The best example of this lies on opening track 'Soulmurder'.
The vocals are adequate, if not exactly dripping with mind-blowing talent. The drummer however deserves special credit - he must have either extra arms or extra cymbals on his drumkit to make that kind of a racket (but a racket in a good way). In fact, the whole rhythm section of the band is excellent, with bass actualy providing the grounding for the song rather than just 'being there' as in most bands these days.
If you can find a copy of the album, check it out. It's well worth it.
