Finland's Scorngrain is an interesting band. They play a mix of industrial metal meets old school thrash metal with plenty of modern elements. Their guitar work is very heavy, at times reminiscent of 80's Slayer and some earlier Entombed stuff. However, their singer is more of the screaming type that may be likened to Alexi Laiho, given the way he does those high screeches on "4D Religion", a track littered with typical Euro power metal double bass drums, the most quirky elements heard on Mr Bungle albums, and a general Children of Bodom-ish synth work.
There are also some parts on the album that may border on modern metal, such as the clean vocal section on the opener "24-7". Those vocals totally kill the magic of the song in my opinion. They feel like they were integrated into the piece just for commercial purposes. However, given the way they come into the picture after a solid thrash rhythm attack, they only serve to weaken the song rather than elevate it to higher standards. As with every other track, this song is also filled with thick galloping riffs and computer-programmed soundbits that are obviously a vital part of Scorngrain's songcraft. Some of these techno-ish sounds do exceed the limits though. "Blank" and "New Paradise" would be normally okay songs had it not been for those excessive key samples. "New Paradise" is still one of the more interesting tunes on the CD for it whimsical stop-start breaks and extremely brutal vocal performance.
The title track contains a catchy melody line and huge chorus, but again, the scratchy turntable sound kills it for me. "Flesh Means Pain" might be their richest song musically. Its harmonic structure is well planned, and I think the guitarist's run on the pentatonic scale is pretty impressive. It certainly is cool to hear some blues licks amidst a sea of sampled electronics and industrial guitar tunings. The bass and drums are at their metal best on this track along with the symphonic keyboard work. The album closes with the slower number "No Funeral for the Last", but the song drags on way too long, and I feel the distorted guitar sound is a bit too much. For a debut, Cyberwarmachine may be considered average. We'll have to wait and see where they are going with their second disc.
Track Listing
- 24-7 Hell
- Blank
- Cyberwarmachine
- Flesh Means Pain
- Killing Breed
- 4D Religion
- New Paradise (Bukkake Remix)
- Dawn of Hypocrite God
- No Funeral for the Last
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