Heavy metal fans really are a spoiled bunch. The diversity of sound and styles underneath the metal umbrella is so vast that there seems to be an unlimited amount of possibilities. From the brutality of death metal, the eclecticness of prog, or the embarrassment of Nu-metal, heavy metal has your particular poison ready and waiting for dosing. But hey, sometimes you want some no-nonsense music to get you going. Dutch quintet 3rd Machine has your back with the release of their first full length album, Quantified Self. This album respect the traditions of the genre, and glances toward the future.
Quantified Self can be described simply by the cool riffage, outstanding guitar solos, and diverse vocal deliveries making each song distinct. “Ultimate Intelligence” starts with a melancholy blues guitar solo, with doomy riffs, before shifting to a more upbeat sound as the track gets rolling. Driving drums and wailing guitars provide the sonic backdrop to a guttural vocal thrashing on “1953”. This sound builds to an exotic guitar solo and spoken word vocals that heavily contrast the preceding music.
This album is also good at building ambient and melodic sounds to taper the hard edge of the chugging guitar lines. The synth work in “System Idle” sets a dreamy tone that is mirrored with vocal distortions during breakdowns. It also works to build further layers into the walls of sound prevalent within the album. “Magnet” combines the synthesizer as a backdrop, making sound inescapable. This is further accentuated later as the melodic vocals of the breakdown becomes yet another sound layer to an already robust sound profile.
3rd Machine have produced a compelling piece of metal with their album Quantified Self. The band utilizes classic trappings of heavy metal and contemporizes these sounds and styles. I’ve heard my share of melodic metal before, but 3rd Machine is able to float to the top and carve out a unique sound of their own. Quantified Self shows that this band has a lot of tricks up their sleeves to make an interesting and diverse album that ironically stands out by using subtlety to build captivating atmospheres and moods through music.
Official Website: www.3rdmachine.com
3rd Machine Facebook: www.facebook.com/3rdMachine
On Twitter: twitter.com/3rdmachine
“Magnet” via Official Youtube:
