|
|
|
|
What's in a name? Apparently lots of letters, were one to answer this query solely by examining the name of this band. All foolishness aside, One Man Army and the Undead Quartet (OMAATUQ for brevity's sake, whew!), are most famous for being the new band of Johan Lindstrand, formerly of The Crown. Where his former band unleashed feral amounts of speed and Death Metal aggression, OMAATUQ is firmly steeped in a mid-tempo, almost groovy, Thrash-inflected brand of Death Metal with a few twists. What results is a more accessible sound that should gain new fans while maintaining some of those no doubt earned from Johan's tenure with The Crown. Sonically speaking all is where it should be thanks to crystal clear production and excellent mixing. The riffs chug along with determination, heavy bass rumbles below the surface, leads penetrate the downtuned madness, drums articulate like sledgehammers, and the vocals are diverse, though primarily of the Death Metal variety.
If one is seeking something along the lines of The Crown, look elsewhere. The whole point of this affair is to do something different, including some spoken word moments and almost straight up Rock'n'Roll parts here and there. As a whole, the album sounds great and is effective as a debut full length release. At times, however, 21st Century Killing Machine sounds like a less inspired version of The Haunted, not that this is particularly bad. More often than not, though, this record is what In Flames might sound like if they weren't bent on being Pop stars. Although not the most original thing to come down the pike in years, 21st Century Killing Machine is accessible, catchy, and a good starting point for a veteran looking to rekindle an old flame. Maybe fellow born again Death Metallers in Angel Blake would be appropriate tourmates. "Find it so grim, so true, so real." A nod to Metallica? Gotta be.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Killing Machine |
| 2. Devil On The Red Carpet |
| 3. Public Enemy No. 1 |
| 4. No Apparent Motive |
| 5. Hell Is For Heroes |
| 6. When Hatred Comes To Life |
| 7. So Grim So True So Real |
| 8. Behind The Church |
| 9. Branded By Iron |
| 10. Bulldozer Frenzy |
: 46.46
| Buy other One Man Army and the Undead Quartet albums |
