Transport League - Grand Amputation
2003 - Crash Music
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Crash Music website.
Swedish 'modern metal' act Transport League were a pretty unknown quantity to me before getting this CD. Apparently, they've been going since 1994 and have played a few US and European tours, appeared at the Milwaukee Metalfest and managed to get 'major radio airplay in key markets in the US'. Sounds like a band I should have heard of... so, in goes 'Grand Amputation' to see what I've been missing out on.
Basically, this is radio-conscious nu-metal hammering - not particularly technical, but the Static-X meets Pantera meets Soulfly vibes acquit themselves fairly well. There are enough down-tuned stop-start riffs and quiet-to-loud dynamics to compete with any other nu-metal act, and the bass sounds pretty growly and cool, but the real high point about the band are when they go for melodicism over mosh-groove. The guitar solos and more sweepingly dynamic melodic passages in songs like 'Lobotomico' and 'Disconnect Massconnect' suggest that rather than going for crunchy nu-metal dollar, perhaps they'd be more convincing and adept at following a more introspective and layered path.
So, generally pretty derivative and satisfying in a 'jumpdafuckup' kinda way, with occasional flashes of promising melodicism. Not particularly engaging, however, and perhaps a badly-timed release considering the increasingly dwindling returns of nu-metal these days...
6/10
2003 - Crash Music
By Philip Whitehouse
Go to the Crash Music website.
Swedish 'modern metal' act Transport League were a pretty unknown quantity to me before getting this CD. Apparently, they've been going since 1994 and have played a few US and European tours, appeared at the Milwaukee Metalfest and managed to get 'major radio airplay in key markets in the US'. Sounds like a band I should have heard of... so, in goes 'Grand Amputation' to see what I've been missing out on.
Basically, this is radio-conscious nu-metal hammering - not particularly technical, but the Static-X meets Pantera meets Soulfly vibes acquit themselves fairly well. There are enough down-tuned stop-start riffs and quiet-to-loud dynamics to compete with any other nu-metal act, and the bass sounds pretty growly and cool, but the real high point about the band are when they go for melodicism over mosh-groove. The guitar solos and more sweepingly dynamic melodic passages in songs like 'Lobotomico' and 'Disconnect Massconnect' suggest that rather than going for crunchy nu-metal dollar, perhaps they'd be more convincing and adept at following a more introspective and layered path.
So, generally pretty derivative and satisfying in a 'jumpdafuckup' kinda way, with occasional flashes of promising melodicism. Not particularly engaging, however, and perhaps a badly-timed release considering the increasingly dwindling returns of nu-metal these days...
6/10
