Albums You Didn’t Buy – Soul of a New Machine
Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
When I do an album you didn’t buy it’s usually because I came across some random, forgotten gem on Amazon (or, more and more lately, the Zune Marketplace). Then I live with the album for a week or so. Or at least I try to. Sometimes I can’t. Sometimes..
Oh let me just say, this album has a high degree of shittiassitudiness.
Way back when I was a wee Mystic Negro in college I was transitioning from listening to the hair metal bands of my youth to heavier fare I decided to give this album a try. This was based mostly off a recommendation of the only Faith No More guitarist that was actually worth a damn then Faith No More guitarist Jim Martin proclaiming its heaviness and awesomeness. Unbeknownst to me Jim is a filthy, dirty liar.
I thought that given my advanced age and appreciation for heavier music…
OK, let’s just break this down, with few exceptions (“Self Immolation” and…”Self Immolation) there really isn’t anything here. It’s a sprawling mess full of riff salad loosely collected into “songs.” Full of samples that are meant to be “disturbing,” or “heavy” or maybe “scary.” Some would call it “progressive,” but it’s just an aimless mess (much like this review). One track, “Natividad” (which I believed is named after guitarist Dino Cazares’ grandmother) consists of what sounds like a metal trash can thrown down a concrete staircase. I love you too, nana!
If this is music you didn’t buy, you’re smarter than me.