The boys from Boston are back with their latest platter of brutal & complex extreme metal, Fed Through the Teeth Machine, a thoroughly blistering affair that sees The Red Chord down to only a single guitar player, but losing none of their ferocity or technicality. Though the songs are a bit more straightforward and perhaps shorter & less adventurous than what we heard on their previous CD Prey For Eyes, the band has still packed plenty of blazing guitar work, insane drumming, and aggressive vocal styles into each of these dozen powerhouse numbers.
At just over 35 minutes, Fed Through the Teeth Machine moves quickly, punishing the listener into submission without a wasted second and taking no prisoners. Guitarist Mike McKenzie, now in the lead axe spotlight all by himself, really shines throughout, delivering a non stop barrage of thunderous riffs, screaming pinch harmonics, blazing solos, and frantic, technical passages. He's at his best on the more manic numbers such as "Ingest the Ash", "Hour of Rats", and "Demoralizer", but when the band slow down for some seriously bone crunching death metal, like on "Mouthful of Precious Stones", his colossal riffs and legato lead harmony lines are a thing of beauty. Lead vocalist Guy Kuzumyck lays down a wide variety of deep bellows, screams, growls, and barks, and the rhythm section of bassist Greg Weeks and drummer extraordinaire Brad Fickeison really do a fine job keeping all this insanity focused. That's a really important thing here, as the music on the CD, despite some absolutely intense moments, is less about the band showing the world they can play a million miles an hour with a trillion notes, and more about creating exciting extreme metal songs with a healthy dose of melody & technicality. "The Ugliest Truth" is a great example, The Red Chord tossing in blinding sections of complex riffery with slower, grinding death metal and tasty lead guitar work.
Fed Through the Teeth Machine was one of 2009's late arrivals, and a damn good one at that, showing that The Red Chord are quickly maturing into a fine extreme metal band, and outgrowing the 'technical metalcore' tag that followed them early in their career. This band has serious chops, but they can also write a memorable tune, as well as kick ass with some of the best that extreme metal has to offer.
Track Listing
1. Demoralizer
2. Hour Of Rats
3. Hymns And Crippled Anthems
4. Embarrassment Legacy
5. Tales Of Martyrs And Disappearing Acts
6. Floating Through The Vein
7. Ingest The Ash
8. One Robot To Another
9. Mouthful Of Precious Stones
10. The Ugliest Truth
11. Face Area Solution
12. Sleepless Nights In The Compound
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