Frontman Wayne Static said 'Machine' "...is going to be harder than the last... we made this one for the fans." Well, he wasn't lying. From the very first song, "Get to the Gone", Static's screams and guitar, as well as the guitar of former Dope guitarist Tripp Eisen are a very good indication of what's to come on this album. Ken Jay returns with his back breaking drums that give the band it's 'evil disco' sound. But it doesn't stop there. The very next song, "Permanence", is reminiscent of the last album; raw; intense, and thrash-worthy. Then of course you have the single, "This is Not", which is blowing up on radio stations across the nation. "Otsego Undead", which was on the Dracula 2000 Soundtrack, get's new life here with a mechanical presence that's more noticeable. "Structural Defect" showcases the growls of Wayne Satic, and should get you moving out of your chair. The title track is a bit slower than the rest of the album, but make no mistake, it's not any softer. The pounding bass of Tony Campos is shown off here, as are the many facets of Static's vocal talents. This album kicks plenty of ass. Now if every band promised a heavier CD 'next time', metal heads around the world would be foaming at the mouth. They definitely will be with this one. Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Burn To Burn' Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Structural Defect' Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Get to The Gone' Back to top
Okay, I know I promised this review for June 2nd... I'm only 2 weeks late... so what? Anyway, at the time that I bought this CD, I had only heard the name Stereomud in little blurbs in 'Metal Edge'. I went to The Wherehouse with the intent of buying the Unloco CD (which I did buy), but as I was getting ready to pay, I decided to see what discs they had spinning at their listening stations. I sat down at the Stereomud station and was blown away by every track. Well, almost every track. There are several (10 in all) 5, 10, and even 30 second sound bites of the final track, the title track. This is pretty annoying. The first couple of times, I thought it was cool, but after awhile, it started to take away from the natural flow of the music. Once I got past all the snipits, and concentrated on the music, I really liked what I heard. I bought the CD, and it gets better every time I listen to it. Rockers like 'Sunlight', the first single 'Pain', and pure metal tracks like 'How We Stand', 'Old Man', 'Get Me Out' , and the best, hardest, most brutal song on the disc, 'Lost Your Faith', make this CD worth the thirteen bucks I paid for it. Check it out, I think you'll like it. Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Closer Now' Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Lost Your Faith' Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Don't Be Afraid' Back to top
From producer Johnny K. of Disturbed fame come Unloco with 'Healing', a mind-blowing blend of harmony, choppy guitars, and lyrics that actually mean something. The begininng of the first song, 'Useless', has kind of a pop sound, but make no mistake, they schuck that quickly and get into the grindage right away. After all how many pop songs do you know that have a chorus with the words 'I f*cking tried your way, and I don't like what I see...'? Not too many, of course. The next track, 'Clean', is awesome with the lead vocalist Pedro screaming, growling, and singing harmonic tones in the same breath. Some of the best guitar work I have heard in awhile are on the songs 'Far Side', 'Whimper', and and the upbeat, fast moving 'Reckoning', which is the best song on this disc. This is not the most unique CD you will ever hear, but it is definitely one of the best, I promise. Like deep, low tuned guitars? Like growling coupled with harmony? If you said yes, than Unloco may be your best bet right now. Youd be crazy not to get this metal masterpiece from Unloco. Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Useless' Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Naive' Listen to a 30 second preview of 'Reckoning' Back to top
