Lowdown - Unknown
2003 - Black Balloon Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Lowdown website
They're from Norway, they're wearing black and they've got make-up on in their promo photographs - but any similarity between Lowdown and the typical black metal noises their countrymen produce ends right about there. This is almost an hour of sheer, molten, modern heavy metal, influenced as much by Slipknot and Machine Head as it is by Slayer and Meshuggah.
Lowdown don't fit too easily into any one camp - they term themselves 'hybrid metal', and at first listen, they seem too heavy to be 'nu', but not extreme enough to be underground - and interesting touches like the occasional Jonathan Davis/David Draiman gibberish which makes an appearance in certain songs serve to fuel this ambiguity - but get past the desire to pigeonhole the group, and you soon discover that Unknown stands perfectly well on its own.
The double bass drums batter away mechanically in time to the frantic, down-tuned riffage and are accompanied well by the bass guitar and the growled, screamed, roared and occasionally just plain sung vocals. The songs are relentless but still manage to be varied in their structure, sweeping from full-on hell-for-leather metal barrages to more metalcore-esque beatdowns and mid-tempo mosh sections.
Highlights include the Meshuggah-flavoured 'Intenz' which begins with a confoundingly tempo'd riff, and the more sinister 'Take A Minute' which shows admirably the band's mastery of 'wait for it...' song dynamics - those moments where you just know the band's about to let rip, and also features a decent, if understated solo.
All in all, a more than worthy effort. While nothing really stands up and screams 'listen to me, damnit!', it nonetheless provides an entertainingly intense listen, is solid in its consistency and provides an excellent springboard for the group to expand on this blueprint.
7/10
2003 - Black Balloon Records
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Lowdown website
They're from Norway, they're wearing black and they've got make-up on in their promo photographs - but any similarity between Lowdown and the typical black metal noises their countrymen produce ends right about there. This is almost an hour of sheer, molten, modern heavy metal, influenced as much by Slipknot and Machine Head as it is by Slayer and Meshuggah.
Lowdown don't fit too easily into any one camp - they term themselves 'hybrid metal', and at first listen, they seem too heavy to be 'nu', but not extreme enough to be underground - and interesting touches like the occasional Jonathan Davis/David Draiman gibberish which makes an appearance in certain songs serve to fuel this ambiguity - but get past the desire to pigeonhole the group, and you soon discover that Unknown stands perfectly well on its own.
The double bass drums batter away mechanically in time to the frantic, down-tuned riffage and are accompanied well by the bass guitar and the growled, screamed, roared and occasionally just plain sung vocals. The songs are relentless but still manage to be varied in their structure, sweeping from full-on hell-for-leather metal barrages to more metalcore-esque beatdowns and mid-tempo mosh sections.
Highlights include the Meshuggah-flavoured 'Intenz' which begins with a confoundingly tempo'd riff, and the more sinister 'Take A Minute' which shows admirably the band's mastery of 'wait for it...' song dynamics - those moments where you just know the band's about to let rip, and also features a decent, if understated solo.
All in all, a more than worthy effort. While nothing really stands up and screams 'listen to me, damnit!', it nonetheless provides an entertainingly intense listen, is solid in its consistency and provides an excellent springboard for the group to expand on this blueprint.
7/10
and i like them! 8+ / 10 from me
