Adelaide has started to produce some high quality heavy acts in the last five or six years, and this four piece are no exception. Their debut album utterly destroys all in its path, and then some.
These guys do straight up modern heavy metal precisely the way this writer likes it: balls out; ultra-aggressive but with a little melody thrown in; massive fat grooves everywhere; precision, muscular musicianship and ultra-meaty but crystal clear sound (partly courtesy the great man Forester Savell, who mixed and mastered it. Is there anything this man can’t do?).
‘The Identity’ is a collection of 12 bruising, blistering metal tracks guaranteed to melt speakers and melt faces. These boys are absolutely set in their direction, that of Pantera/Machine Head/Lamb of God influenced metal, and they pull it off with absolute conviction and strength. However they are also forging an identity that is all their own. There are thrashier moments, melodic elements, some tasteful melodic and shredding leads and real dynamics thrown into the mix amid the groove based carnage. And virtually everything works a treat.
The album opens with absolute maximum impact, first track ‘Catch 22’ blasts out of the speakers with pure screaming fury, putting one in mind of the way Pantera’s ‘Great Southern Trendkill’ opens. And the sledgehammering effect of the record barely lets up for a second from there. Each and every track has something to offer the listener, with best tune honours probably going to ‘Shot Down’, with its steam train momentum and killer, rumbling, double kick driven chorus that is catchy as all hell. ‘Drones’ is also worthy of mention, all off-kilter melodies and rhythms, it builds in a menacing fashion to a howling, devastating climax.
Yet another highlight of this band’s sound is singer Matt Kavanagh’s voice. Extremely mature in his technique and delivery, every note he hits, from the low end to the screams to the soaring melody is absolutely dead on the money. He channels Anselmo, Flynn and even Fafara at different times, but also makes it absolutely his own. A real vocal talent.
This album is the best meat and potatoes metal record these ears have heard in a long, long time. Australian or otherwise. I have absolutely nothing against Adelaide, it’s a beautiful city with a great passion for beer, wine and the best kind of football. All very important things in their own right. But it’s a bit of a dead end for heavy music acts, so one can only hope these guys, and others of their ilk, can break out of the city of churches (also very inappropriate for metal) and bring their brand of musical mayhem to a slightly more appreciative locale. Going by ‘The Identity’ they’re one of the best heavy acts in the country at the moment, they just need to get themselves heard more.
http://www.myspace.com/isawband