Machinemade God - The Infinity Complex
Metal Blade - 3984-14563-2 - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
If Ultimate Metal handed out an award to bands who sound like Unearth, Machinemade God would win it. I mean, this German metalcore group must really like Unearth to emulate them this well. Okay, so there are other influences at work here also - immaculately played vibrato'd pinch harmonics a la Killswitch Engage regularly make their presence felt (though the album is thankfully free of any acoustic/clean singing/emo wussery that the more commercial end of the metalcore spectrum is plagued with), and even the more acerbic wit of the American screamo contigent is given a brief nod with the songtitle 'Friendster Is Sooo 2 Months Ago'. But for the most part, you've heard this record a few times before, and the name on top was Unearth.
Jacob Bredahl's production gives the tracks a punch and density that serves the material very well. The musicians' technical ability is apparent during moments like the tempo-shifting riffs in 'Downpour Of Emptiness' or the industrial-tinged, reverb-soaked lead-fest 'Butterfly Coma'. Riffs pummel and stomp, breakdowns crunch and crush, borrowed Swedish melodies cut through the concrete-thick rhythm guitars with meticulously constructed aplomb - but there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is even remotely new about any of it. It's well-written, well-played, and in many ways, faultless. However, it's also derivative, unoriginal and redundant.
Note to the German metalcore scene - just stop it. America are already throwing enough identi-kit metalcore bands at us without all of you lot cloning every fucking thing about them. Caliban actually had the right idea with their first record, then they heard about Killswitch Engage and started to suck, and the rest of you apparently thought that was a good move. Newsflash - it wasn't. Do something new, or pack up and go home.
4.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Machinemade God's Official Website
Metal Blade's Official Website
Metal Blade - 3984-14563-2 - 2006
By Philip Whitehouse
If Ultimate Metal handed out an award to bands who sound like Unearth, Machinemade God would win it. I mean, this German metalcore group must really like Unearth to emulate them this well. Okay, so there are other influences at work here also - immaculately played vibrato'd pinch harmonics a la Killswitch Engage regularly make their presence felt (though the album is thankfully free of any acoustic/clean singing/emo wussery that the more commercial end of the metalcore spectrum is plagued with), and even the more acerbic wit of the American screamo contigent is given a brief nod with the songtitle 'Friendster Is Sooo 2 Months Ago'. But for the most part, you've heard this record a few times before, and the name on top was Unearth.
Jacob Bredahl's production gives the tracks a punch and density that serves the material very well. The musicians' technical ability is apparent during moments like the tempo-shifting riffs in 'Downpour Of Emptiness' or the industrial-tinged, reverb-soaked lead-fest 'Butterfly Coma'. Riffs pummel and stomp, breakdowns crunch and crush, borrowed Swedish melodies cut through the concrete-thick rhythm guitars with meticulously constructed aplomb - but there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is even remotely new about any of it. It's well-written, well-played, and in many ways, faultless. However, it's also derivative, unoriginal and redundant.
Note to the German metalcore scene - just stop it. America are already throwing enough identi-kit metalcore bands at us without all of you lot cloning every fucking thing about them. Caliban actually had the right idea with their first record, then they heard about Killswitch Engage and started to suck, and the rest of you apparently thought that was a good move. Newsflash - it wasn't. Do something new, or pack up and go home.
4.5/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Machinemade God's Official Website
Metal Blade's Official Website
