Death Machine: Death Machine

If you thought The Towers of Avarice, the second album by California's up-and-coming prog-metal band Zero Hour, was a dark and angry disc, wait until you hear Zero Hour's alter ego. Death Machine, a technical, brutal and gut-wrenching death-metal project, features three of Zero Hour's four members – guitarist Jasun Tipton (hereby known in Death Machine as "Thrak"), bassist Troy Tipton ("Devin") and drummer Mike Guy. They don face paint, wear bizarre costumes and sound damn near apocalyptic.

Much like Zero Hour's music, most of the dozen tracks on Death Machine's self-titled debut erupt from your speakers – challenging you, invigorating you and aurally annihilating you. Wearing their Meshuggah influences on their sleeves, the brothers Tipton lead a relentless rampage of ferocity with rumbling bass lines, jagged riffs and crushing drums. Singer Kirk (or "Throat;" no last name given) spews such lyrics as "Your presence screaming in my head/Constant reminder you're not dead" (from "Believing"), while the strategic use of Elias' keyboards lends an air of class to the chaos. Bolstered by effective (albeit occasionally sporadic) melodies, the disc reveals additional layers after each listen, and Zero Hour producer Dino Alden ensures that the aggression comes through loud and clear every time.

At 38 minutes, Death Machine is a short album, one that doesn't wear out its welcome. The disc's final track, "Not To Be," is an ethereal instrumental with a few beautiful female vocal passages that brings a harsh and raging album to a peaceful (I daresay hopeful) close. Listeners who think death-metal musicians lack talent, style and sophistication need to hear this record.

Added: February 2nd 2006
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Death Machine Web Site
Hits: 5233
Language: english

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