I think that majority of modern thrash metal releases suck. And not releases alone... Metallica, Machine Head (haven't heard to new one yet, so they might have made a right move at last), Anthrax (good stuff, but not thrash anymore), Slayer... Everyone of 'em more or less out of the genre nowadays. Machinery from Sweden have proved my thought wrong.

Machinery play thrash metal, more modern than old style. But old thrash stylings always exist here and there. Machinery paint darkened soundscapes, with some very groovy sections thrown in every now and then. Nevermore... Hmm. Clean singing is akin to Warrel Dane for a big part (not that distressed, but just as off-key), also music to a small extent, but calling Machinery a Nevermore clone would be a stupid thing to do. Machinery have found their own small niche; darkened modern thrashing, that's what I'm calling them! There's also a melodic tinge to the music, and darker feel reminds slighly of Evergrey, even though Machinery are more thrashy. To some extent, Machinery sound like they'd come from USA, to tell the truth. There's a hint or two of Fear Factory in their sound, an also some groovy parts. Plus downtuned guitars. Machinery have composed some memorable stuff, which on the other hand is individual too. Back to the vocals; there's some growls and screams too (Tomas Lindberg, anyone?!).

The production on 'Degeneration' sucks, it's way to trebly! Listen to it loud and it'll surely make your ears bleed. Well what doesn't, but this one does it for a totally wrong reason!!! Lower register remind me of Metallica's '...And Justice for All' [1988] (bass guitar is gladly more audible here), it's at times like compressed, maybe muffled or indistinct. Balancing is so-so. New keyboardist's work gets buried badly.

There's loads of good things about Machinery. 'Degeneration' itself suffers from bad production, although that is not an insurmountable problem, thanks to good songs. Nevermore maniacs, be sure to check this one out! Thrash metal heads, you too should do so. Other metal heads, why not?! Try 'Salvation for Sale', 'Falling through the Grid' and 'Rectifier' for starters. This one definitely doesn't fall into "heard everywhere - done by everyone" bin. Just fucking better that sound, fellas.

Rating: 7 (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
06/03/2007 18:48