Machine Head : "Catharsis"

While they are not letting freedom ring with a shot gun blast, the first song is aggressive enough to almost work though on the second listen it seemed like they were angry in the same way Slipknot is angry. If you think that is a good thing then we are going to have differing views on what we want out of this album. There is a more melodic touch to the title track that follows. Where I liked the opener less the second listen, I like this song more. The nu-metal is still being kept live on "Beyond the Pale". The more shouted tough guy vocals don't work as well for me. If he was going at it as rough as he did on the first album then I might be alright with it. Its the way the vocal phrasing accents some of the punches that really reminds me of Slipknot again.

The Slipknot touches to "California Bleeding" actually work, though the song benefits from having really good lyrics. That goes a long way with me. The rapping on "Triple Beam" sounds like it's from a time warp into the late 90s. Though if you are fine with it taking you back to that drugged out place in time, then it does have some value. Though it talks about meth, when the rap use of the phrase is talking about weighing out coke. So I guess pick your poison. Drugs do seem to be the prevailing theme of this album. "Kaleidoscope" is a little too early 2000s in the way it tries to blend a more Drowning Pool like vocal. It finds them losing their personality as this could be any metal band from 1999.

Not as a big of a sound as what I have heard from previous albums. I am unsure of the acoustic strum on "Bastards".  "the Blackening" was the last thing I heard from Robb Flynn. He is the only original member left and since this is his baby I guess that doesn't matter. He was social justice warrior number one going after Phil Anselmo on Youtube and the sentiment is celebrated on "Bastards". "Hope Begets Hope" is the first song where the big guitar sound I remember these guys having is invoked. The verses do have a more melodic radio rock feel. This song is better than many on this album, but doesn't sink the hook in you as hard as I might like . At 50 it does feel Flynn is more current than many who found themselves in a mid-life metal crisis.

By the time we get to "Screaming at the Sun" I have accepted the fact this is a nu-metal band and I am reviewing an album by a nu-metal band. So based on those facts they are successful at creating that sound. "Behind the Mask" must refer to the masks Slipknot wears. It is more of a ballad like interlude than an actual song with its own two legs. "Heavy Lies the Crown" feels more like an over dramatic Alice Cooper song with the whispered vocals. The verse riff has a more classic metal chug to it. So just because I accepted the fact this is nu-metal it doesn't mean I am accepting something like the song "Psychotic which would have come across as filler on a Mudvayne album. "Grind You Down" has a little more momentum which helps it. "Razorblade Smile" is not as fortunate as it feels more rushed to me.

The album closes with "Eulogy" which is a very atmospheric ballad. The vocals are shrouded in effects. It manages to build without feeling like it goes anywhere.I'll give this album 6.5, there were only two songs that did much for me. These guys know what they are doing I would expect something a little more mature from a 50 year old rather than teenage temper tantrums, that brand of angst could be more refined. If you are into nu-metal then round it up a whole point.

Institute : "Catharsis"

An super group of the Austin punk scene, the band has members doing double duty in other bands such as Wiccans, Blotter, Back to Back and continues place the emphasis on punk in the post-punk equation.The bass point is there. The guitar has the jerky clang of a band like Gang of Four. Like most punk the tempo and simplistic nature of the chord progression can cause everything to sound the same so Institute sets themselves aside on "I am Living Death". The vocals are only somewhat sung in a mumbled narrative so the guitar takes on the bulk of the melodic duties.They quickly revert back a more straight up punk urgency on "Helplessness" though the vocals become more deadpan.

It's clear the bass player really has some chops, his playing reminds me of  Stuart Morrow from New Model Army as his playing is more adventurous and melodic than you would expect from a punk band. Granted New Model Army grew with Morrow and the punk label didn't fit as snugly on later albums, while it sticks solidly to this band.The awkward twang of  the instrumental "Untitled" is more of an interlude than an actual song. The guitars take a darker tone on "Leathernecks". The band has stated before that they want to steer clear of the gothy side of early punk, and I think they adhere to that mission statement on this album. The bass line  and droning tom work on "No Billowing Wind" does bring this into question, but it lacks the  romantic elegance which makes something goth.

From a production stand point the mix is muddy where it needs to be , but the tones of all the instruments is very pure. I think the placement of the vocals in the mix and the use of effects on them is one thing that keeps this from just being a punk album. That is not to say the album doesn't have its raw garage punk moments as that can be found on "Cheaptime Morals" where a burly bass tone almost over powers the song. While it might not release the bats, the shadows over this song make it one of the album's highlights.

The bring the album to a close with "Christian Right" that calls them out on their Joy Division influence. The song has more of a drone than the others. The vocals are more punk than Ian Curtis. The vocals take on a chant that creates a hypnotic feel not found elsewhere on the album. This album is fun and sounds great. A far as punk goes they are growing in the right direction. While the hectic pace punk keeps can create a limit to dynamics these guys get the most they can out of that frame work for where they are at. I'll give this an 8.5.

The album comes out June 9th on Sacred Bones.




6.9