March 13, 2010

Reviewer: Chris

It’s sort of hard to believe that Master has been around for twenty years now. I remember seeing these guys at nearly every club in Chicago back in the day, and frontman Paul Speckman and crew seldom disappointed. Their discography is an impressive collective of honest, brutal death metal that is straight from the book of said genre. From 2000 to 2005, Master has produced a solid release every single year, so they’ve never gone away and have only gotten more brutal with age.

The latest effort, The Human Machine, is a mild kick in the chest void of subtlety or reserve. It’s well-produced, fast-paced death metal that has a technical side emanating from it, quite polished I might add. Maturity through death metal often means a band either waters down its style and subject matter in accordance with some imaginary borders or they manage to progress from the roots and grow from within. Master has managed to grow without letting up. Chuck Schuldiner’s Death comes to mind if pressed for a viable comparison. From Scream Bloody Gore in 1987 to Sounds of Perseverance in 1998 is an amazing example of how maturity in death metal doesn’t mean dumbing-down the music or selling out the ideal. In fact, Master’s The Human Machine could stand up well against death albums from the past year or so. It’s both viable and stirs the senses.

The songs are typical Master: free-thought-promoting, sensible dirges, and violent reactions to all things inane or unjust. In the long lineage that is Master’s discography, the ever constant theme is subjugation, be it internal, mental or governmental. “Supress Free Thinking” from the CD is a full-on bitch-fest about losing the ability to think for oneself. Speckman’s vocals are so reminiscent of Tom G. Warrior from Celtic Frost it’s haunting. His influences show throughout the CD, as does the proficiency of the band he’s assembled, with Alex Nejezchleba on guitars and Zdenek Pradlovsky drumming. The trio is amazingly talented and produces through a mere trio what some bands can’t accomplish with five members.

Heavy metal has always prided itself on being cerebral, thought-provoking music, insisting that one thinks outside the proverbial box and finds answers not always conducive to popular collective thought. Master accomplishes this through a barrage of heaviness that could crush a Sherman tank. This is especially evident on the track “A Replica of Invention,” a headbang-inducing track that gets under your skin and provides an additional outlet for suppressed rage and strife that might be lingering inside somewhere.

From start to finish, The Human Machine is a death metal lesson in coloring outside the lines. This is the way death metal should be presented: fast, thought-provoking and legible. Another fine release from a vastly underrated band is ready for ingestion.

Release Date: 2010
Label: Pulverised Records

TRACK LISTING

1.  The Human Machine
2.  It’s What Your Country
     Can Do for You
3.  Twisted Truth
4.  True Color
5.  Suppress Free Thinking
6.  A Replica of Invention
7.  Faceless Victims Expelled
8.  Worship the Sun
9.  The Lack of Space
10.  Impale to Kill

Total playing time: 45:53

*By clicking "Submit" you agree to the following Terms of Use. You agree not to post any material that is obscene, slanderous, or threatening, or that may violate any law of your country of origin or the United States or of international law. Should you wish to restrict viewing of your email address by third parties, you must select "Hide My Email." You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Metal Psalter from any claims, actions, suits, damages, or other costs arising out of any breach of these Terms of Use.

*Comments:

Master - The Human Machine