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October 12, 2008 |
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01. The Answer
02. Wandering Eyes
03. Bloodwine
04. Burn
05. Romantic Devastation
06. Wearing Skin
07. People Show
08. Voice Of Sanity
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At first listen, I thought that New York's GIZMACHI and their album "The Imbuing" had a sound that was similar to SLIPKNOT. And correct I was as this debut disc was actually produced by none other than Clown (a.k.a. Shawn Crahan, or #6) of the mighty SLIPKNOT. Seeing as this is the band's first disc, and Crahan's first production job, I must say, the results are impressive - brutal, intense, and yet very melodic, in the same way that SLIPKNOT is. But don't make the mistake of thinking GIZMACHI is a rip off of the masked ones. Oh no, these guys are their own strong entity and don't have to be compared to anyone.
Vocalist Sean Kane does an admirable job belting out the brutality, while every so often throwing in some clean vocals. Okay, I promise this will be the last reference or comparison to 'you know who', but Kane does remind me a little of Corey Taylor. Not in how he sounds mind you, but in the way he performs. There's a cool intensity and confidence to his performance - kind of like Taylor's performance with STONE SOUR. Musically, the band employ a variety of layers with guitarists Jason Hannon and Mike Laurino leading the band through some aggressive, down-tuned riffing, with bassist Kris Gilmore and drummer Jimmie Hatcher solidifying things in grand fashion. There's a good mix of metalcore and melodic metal, with some emotion thrown in for good measure. Wait... What? Emotion?? Sure, why not.
Passages throughout songs like "Wandering Eyes", "Bloodwine", and "Romantic Devastation" show a band that is willing to take some chances with their writing and show themselves in a little different light - a little vulnerable at times. It's still very brutal stuff, but the emotion is there as well. The strong production job definitely helps bring out the different dimensions found within each tune.
I love the line in "The Answer" that goes "the question doesn't matter...this is the answer". Damn, that's a 'metal' attitude if there ever was one! "Burn" has some cooland subtle vocal change ups in it, while still managing to stay on course. "Wearing Skin" is a straight-ahead, no frills hardcore screamfest that will no doubt go over very well in concert. Kane undoubtedly needed some throat lozenges after recording this tune - man, some of those screechy, growly screams are insane!
"People Show" starts off with a little sound bite that is a good stab at all of the reality TV shows that are inundating the airwaves as of late. I don't think there are any of us that wouldn't share the same sentiment, but I'm not going tell you what he says - you'll have to listen for yourself. It's short and to the point, and I would wholeheartedly agree with what he is saying. The song itself is ok, but I could do without the SYSTEM OF A DOWN-ish break near the middle as it takes away from the power and intensity of the song. The final song on the disc is "Voice Of Sanity" which features some sort of atmospheric, almost PINK FLOYDian breaks in it. It's just another example of the band showing a different side of their songwriting talents.
GIZMACHI have a pretty good future ahead of them. As the band have been signed as the opening act on the second stage at Ozzfest 2005, their education is going to come fast and furious as they enter a great classroom. I like this band, and I really hope that they take Ozzfest as an opportunity to learn from some of the best in the business. Watch, listen, and learn. It will be a great learning experience for them, and the fact that they are going be performing in front of a lot of potential new fans won't hurt either. "The Imbuing" is a cool debut album worth checking out.
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