One Man Army And The Undead Quartet - 21st Century Killing Machine

Liu · 06-14-2006, 03:27 PM

One Man Army And The Undead Quartet - 21st Century Killing Machine
Nuclear Blast

The demise of The Crown is probably one of the greater injustices that has occured in the last few years in the world of metal. Their death/thrash hybrid of Deathrace King has yet to be equaled to my ears while the death n' roll Possessed 13 was heavily overlooked a few years back when it should have created a hellstorm in the scene. Thankfully, the former members of The Crown wouldn't just sit by as the collective metal scene moved forward. 2006 marks the release of two new bands: guitarist Marko Tervonen's Angel Blake (which I'll get to at a later date) and vocalist Johan Lindstrand's One Man Army And The Undead Quartet, so The Crown's legacy has a chance to live on.

21st Century Killing Machine is rooted in familiar territory, a quick listen will conjure up images of The Crown's former glory. However, repeated listens reveals the shortcomings of this One Man Army. The pace rarely ever appoaches the lightning speed blitz of Deathrace King and the groove isn't quite as thick and accented as found on Possessed 13. The material sounds far too laid back for its own good. Johan sounds much like he did on Possessed 13, which is a problem cause it doesn't really suit most of the music on display here.

Good moments are found on the album such as on the nicely used groove in Devil On The Red Carpet, the top notch ripper So Grim So True So Real (album highlight) and Bulldozer Frenzy, which indeed feels like heavy machinery is running over you. On the other hand the rest of the material, such as Public Enemy No. 1, Hell Is For Heroes, When Hatred Comes To Life and the two bonus tracks simply don't measure up. They blend into each other far too easily, lacking the rock solid songwriting you'd come to expect from someone with a resumè like Lindstrand has. They present no real emotion, soon being relegated as background static on each listen. The production, while being loud and clear, really brings the limitations of the songs to the forefront.

I don't wanna completely write off Johan's new project, but there is very little to recommend on 21st Century Killing Machine. Hopefully album #2 will correct the mistakes made here. Until then, I'll keep my copy of Deathrace King nearby.

01. Killing Machine
02. Devil On The Red Carpet
03. Public Enemy No. 1
04. No Apparent Motive
05. Hell Is For Heroes
06. When Hatred Comes To Life
07. So Grim So True So Real
08. Behind The Church
09. Branded By Iron
10. Bulldozer Frenzy
11. The Sweetness Of Black (bonus track)
12. Mary's Raising The Dead (bonus track)

Score: 5/10

06-14-2006, 03:27 PM	#1
Liu Global Galaxy Tyrant Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 196	One Man Army And The Undead Quartet - 21st Century Killing Machine One Man Army And The Undead Quartet - 21st Century Killing Machine Nuclear Blast The demise of The Crown is probably one of the greater injustices that has occured in the last few years in the world of metal. Their death/thrash hybrid of Deathrace King has yet to be equaled to my ears while the death n' roll Possessed 13 was heavily overlooked a few years back when it should have created a hellstorm in the scene. Thankfully, the former members of The Crown wouldn't just sit by as the collective metal scene moved forward. 2006 marks the release of two new bands: guitarist Marko Tervonen's Angel Blake (which I'll get to at a later date) and vocalist Johan Lindstrand's One Man Army And The Undead Quartet, so The Crown's legacy has a chance to live on. 21st Century Killing Machine is rooted in familiar territory, a quick listen will conjure up images of The Crown's former glory. However, repeated listens reveals the shortcomings of this One Man Army. The pace rarely ever appoaches the lightning speed blitz of Deathrace King and the groove isn't quite as thick and accented as found on Possessed 13. The material sounds far too laid back for its own good. Johan sounds much like he did on Possessed 13, which is a problem cause it doesn't really suit most of the music on display here. Good moments are found on the album such as on the nicely used groove in Devil On The Red Carpet, the top notch ripper So Grim So True So Real (album highlight) and Bulldozer Frenzy, which indeed feels like heavy machinery is running over you. On the other hand the rest of the material, such as Public Enemy No. 1, Hell Is For Heroes, When Hatred Comes To Life and the two bonus tracks simply don't measure up. They blend into each other far too easily, lacking the rock solid songwriting you'd come to expect from someone with a resumè like Lindstrand has. They present no real emotion, soon being relegated as background static on each listen. The production, while being loud and clear, really brings the limitations of the songs to the forefront. I don't wanna completely write off Johan's new project, but there is very little to recommend on 21st Century Killing Machine. Hopefully album #2 will correct the mistakes made here. Until then, I'll keep my copy of Deathrace King nearby. 01. Killing Machine 02. Devil On The Red Carpet 03. Public Enemy No. 1 04. No Apparent Motive 05. Hell Is For Heroes 06. When Hatred Comes To Life 07. So Grim So True So Real 08. Behind The Church 09. Branded By Iron 10. Bulldozer Frenzy 11. The Sweetness Of Black (bonus track) 12. Mary's Raising The Dead (bonus track) Score: 5/10 __________________ Lapland Metal