{"id":8185,"date":"2007-05-11T00:00:09","date_gmt":"2007-05-11T00:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/?p=8185"},"modified":"2013-06-01T13:18:17","modified_gmt":"2013-06-01T13:18:17","slug":"album-review-meldrum-blowin-up-the-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/album-review-meldrum-blowin-up-the-machine\/","title":{"rendered":"MELDRUM – Blowin\u2019 Up The Machine (2007) | Album \/ EP Reviews @ Metal Forces Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

MELDRUM
Blowin\u2019 Up The Machine<\/strong><\/span>
\n\"\"
\nFrontiers (2007)<\/span>
Rating: 9\/10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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I will always harp on about how the mid to late 1990s were such a foul time for heavy music. The same could also be said for the last decade or so, which although has seen metal return in a big way, hasn\u2019t produced the type of bands I was used to back in the 80s and early 90s. Mind you, amidst the junk there were a dozen or so albums that seemed out of time in their brilliance.<\/p>\n

One such record was Blowin\u2019 Up The Machine<\/em> by Meldrum, the band put together by former Phantom Blue guitarist Michelle Meldrum, whose life was tragically cut short in 2008.<\/p>\n

This was the band\u2019s second album, and featured the talents of drum god Gene Hoglan (ex-Dark Angel), who appeared on four tracks, alongside ex-Phantom Blue drummer Linda McDonald. The band also featured Frida St\u00e5hl on bass and Moa Holmsten on vocals.<\/p>\n

When I first heard the opening track, \u2018Purge\u2019, I was reminded of the same feelings I felt when I first clamped ears upon Machine Head\u2019s debut record Burn My Eyes<\/em> (1994). \u2018Purge\u2019 is such a heavy track, made all the more concrete by Hoglan\u2019s immense drum sound, Michelle\u2019s monstrous riff and then initially contrasted by Holmsten\u2019s seemingly whispered vocal which suddenly turns into some bestial growl that matches any male in the scene.<\/p>\n

Within an instant, \u2018Purge\u2019 becomes a rarely heard classic metal anthem \u2013 a real battering ram of a creation featuring a killer bass and absolutely crushing dynamics. Not only are the trio of females within the band incredibly attractive, but they have bigger balls than most male musicians floating around, making Blowin\u2019 Up The Machine<\/em> one of the most impressive records I\u2019ve ever heard.<\/p>\n

Second track, \u2018Down Your Throat\u2019, has a slightly more raw approach, particularly in the angst-ridden chops of the enigmatic Holmsten, while Hoglan once again comes to the fore with those devilish dreams.<\/p>\n

Meldrum are also able to create hooky melodies, easily matching early Machine Head for weight and worth. \u2018Scar\u2019 begins with an almost poppy rasp which caresses the industrialised sound, with Holmsten\u2019s vocals soaring above the cacophony as Michelle strings the instrumentation together with her recognisable chug. \u2018Scar\u2019 is punky in its approach, before melting into the shuddering \u2018Cr\u00e8me de la Cr\u00e8me\u2019 with its doom-laden riffage and McDonald\u2019s armour-plated beating. This is truly gargantuan metal that never exists beyond a demonic crawl.<\/p>\n

\u2018Hang \u2019Em\u2019 is far shorter and sweeter, following a more melodic path with Holmsten\u2019s sultry rasp and a more classic sounding guitar hook. \u2018Miss Me When I\u2019m Gone\u2019 and \u2018Get Me Out Of Here\u2019 were co-written by Mot\u00f6rhead\u2019s warty war-god Lemmy. The latter is a more reflective five-minute rocker that breezes in on wistful guitar and steady drum tap before its casual ascent into power metal stratospheres.<\/p>\n

\u2018Get Yours\u2019 and \u2018Exploited\u2019 are sturdier numbers, with the former sounding like it was wrenched from the late 80s with a juddering bass and slithering guitar, whilst the latter is a formidable presence on the album with Hoglan\u2019s ominous clatter.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s such a tragedy that Michelle died the following year, because I\u2019m convinced that Meldrum could have carved an impressive career, as they were a sum of many parts, strengthened by that killer guitar sound and anarchic vocal sneer. Sadly, it was not to be, but Blowin\u2019 Up The Machine<\/em> remains the legacy of a band who never fulfilled their true potential, but as it stands, it is a formidable heavy metal album that pulls no punches and leaves you bruised and beaten. <\/p>\n

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

MELDRUMBlowin\u2019 Up The Machine Frontiers (2007)Rating: 9\/10 I will always harp on about how the mid to late 1990s were such a foul time for heavy music. The same could also be said for the last decade or so, which although has seen metal return in a big way, hasn\u2019t produced the type of bands […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,430],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-album-ep-reviews","category-meldrum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8185","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=8185"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11942,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8185\/revisions\/11942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.metalforcesmagazine.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}