It is finally here. This had to be one of the most highly anticipated
records this year and it was sure as hell worth the wait. When I first popped this
in the CD player I was even getting excited because I knew they wouldn’t fail
my ears.
The tracking is a weird one that I’ve seen a few bands do. I think one of
the last ones was MORBID ANGEL. They serve the record up in 99 parts and say
track one “Enter the Machine” is made up of four parts = track two “Taking Back
My Soul” runs from track 5-12, 13-20…. With figuring out this the opening
intro shows that we solo when we want to solo. Metal of the gods. “Taking Back
My Soul” still makes me sit in amazement over the fact that these vocals are
coming from a female. A move the band made way back and it has paid. Angela
is a great vocal force male or female.
“Nemesis” keeps the thrashing level up and me on my knees bowing to the
guitar playing that just rips and crushes. It does really have an anthem like
quality at times. This is your Judas Priest of the new millennium and they aren’
t kidding this time. I’m sorry the song structure the Amott brothers lay
down is heavy as fuck and original. Those days playing the grind of Carcass paid
of for these Brits. Got to hear them coming into Ozzfest this year and it was
scary the echo you heard a mile away from the show. Stop pussying around
with the weak music and be school by greatness.
“My Apocalypse” with show some sweet bending strings and progressions I
haven’t heard any bands doing. There is so much going on in each song it is hard
to focus. Each listen I’m hearing new cool shit. “Carry The Cross” has some
more drifting metal moments but doesn’t forget to pound your sorry ass with
melodic’s and memorable sounding riffage. The vocals are still brutal the
whole way so far, so you pussy metal people stay away. This is one of the most
innovative thrash albums of all time. Listen close don’t chalk it up to just
being death metal. “Skeleton Dance” is some severely cutting deep riffing and
some other effect play a role in the newer Arch Enemy sound. Heavy, Heavy,
Heavy music! I also think if you liked you Mercyful Fates and the Metallica’s
you might think the musicianship here crushes that? It is that good.
“Hybrids Of Steel” is showing the Steve Via side of town I would say. This
one jams out so much I thought I had one of my Shrapnel records on the
player. It certainly is a song that branches them out into mellower new lands. They
don’t forget the heavy towards the end, cool and classy. “Mechanic God
Creation” keeps it on a more down sound as things go a bit slower but definitely
a cool riffer. “Machtkampf” starts it thrashing and evil A strikes again.
WOW listen to this riffing, spaced out almost like a siren. These guys have
broken new ground all over the place on this record. “Slaves Of Yesterday”
comes across more tribal but the progressive styling’s still show up as slower
riffing prevails with groove. Again you’ll bow to the guitar of the gods. This
is definitely one more for the top ten or five of the end of the year in my
book.
