{"id":13405,"date":"2013-07-26T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-07-26T00:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=13405"},"modified":"2013-08-03T13:11:19","modified_gmt":"2013-08-03T13:11:19","slug":"album-review-duskmachine-duskmachine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-duskmachine-duskmachine\/","title":{"rendered":"DUSKMACHINE – Duskmachine (2013) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

DUSKMACHINE
Duskmachine<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nMassacre (2013)<\/span>
Rating: 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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The band moniker doesn\u2019t really give us an idea that this bruising quartet is a thrash band, featuring former members of thrash metal titans Overkill and Annihilator. So, if you like your metal heavy, well-polished and furious then Duskmachine is the perfect place to stop off.<\/p>\n

The Berlin-based band, who were formerly known as Deception before a name change in 2004, aren\u2019t exactly the most prolific of artists, with this self-titled ten-tracker being Duskmachine\u2019s first release since 2005\u2019s The Final Fall<\/em>. However, when the band do get down to the nitty gritty they aren\u2019t afraid of flexing their metallic muscles.<\/p>\n

Ex-Annihilator guitarist Joe Comeau, also known for his work with Overkill and Liege Lord, now fronts the band and is joined by another ex-Annihilator stalwart, bassist Russell Bergquist, and alongside them we find founding members Randy Black (drums; Primal Fear \/ ex-Annihilator) and Nikolai Wurk (guitar).<\/p>\n

So, what can we expect from Duskmachine<\/em>? Well, considering the pedigree of the musicians involved Duskmachine<\/em> doesn\u2019t fail; it\u2019s a hard-hitting platter that relies on a powerful, often crunching guitar. Joe Comeau\u2019s vocals are often belted out as a power metal-styled growl, but he can also resort to a darker, gothic bellow as well as a throatier rasp. The band is equally at home rattling out a thrashier number as they are slowing the pace for a more brooding song.<\/p>\n

Album opener \u2018I Feel No Pain\u2019 literally showcases everything that is good and dynamic about the quartet with the crystal clear production enabling each instrument to breath, especially the sharp guitar sound and engaging drums. <\/p>\n

Most certainly fans of that more melodic style of power thrash metal will find much to savour here, with tracks such as \u2018Bloodshed\u2019 and the plodding title track adding extra dimensions to a genre that over the last few years has become a parody of itself. Duskmachine\u2019s brand of thrash is very different to the current gang of buffoons aping the past, and this sort of album wouldn\u2019t seem out of place slotted alongside Metal Church, Exodus, Overkill, Testament and Annihilator because in a sense it\u2019s very much classic metal through and through, with tracks such as the pulverising \u2018Endless\u2019 really chomping at the bit to the gnaw the speakers.<\/p>\n

Duskmachine most certainly boast a lot more soul than a lot of other current thrash bands, and even fans of U.D.O. and the likes will find this stomping metal machine quite accessible. But don\u2019t expect a full-out thrash assault on the senses, as Duskmachine apply subtlety to their sound to create massive, cold soundscapes as in the gothic serenades of \u2018Dying In My Skin\u2019 which is more an epic thrash semi-ballad if anything, despite the monstrous guitars and bone-shattering bass.<\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re wondering where the thrash is going to come from, then you only have to slap on \u2018Conquer All\u2019 or the moshing chug of \u2018Dripping\u2019 to appreciate the quality and the band\u2019s ability to take modern thrash to more bombastic avenues.<\/p>\n

However, despite the thrash ingredient my favourite track has to be the sweeping, piano-led ballad \u2018My Empty Room\u2019 where Comeau comes into his own. This is a beautiful touch to the record that drifts off into classic hair metal territory until we\u2019re brought down to earth with a crash by the brutal barrage of \u2018Hands Of Fate\u2019 and searing album closer \u2018Escaping\u2019, which has all the chaotic melody of Suicidal Tendencies on that initial noise.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s hoping that Duskmachine get the recognition they deserve, and that we don\u2019t have to wait too long for another instalment. <\/p>\n

Neil Arnold<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DUSKMACHINEDuskmachine Massacre (2013)Rating: 7.5\/10 The band moniker doesn\u2019t really give us an idea that this bruising quartet is a thrash band, featuring former members of thrash metal titans Overkill and Annihilator. So, if you like your metal heavy, well-polished and furious then Duskmachine is the perfect place to stop off. The Berlin-based band, who were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,665],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-duskmachine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13405"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13411,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13405\/revisions\/13411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}