| Hackneyed - Death Prevails |
| Written by Bonehand | |||||
| Thursday, 25 September 2008 23:28 | |||||
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Nuclear Blast 2008 hack*neyed -adjective. Made commonplace or trite; stale; banal. -noun. 1. A trotting horse suited for routine riding or driving; a hack. 2, A coach or carriage for hire. Hackneyed is perhaps a tough name to saddle yourself with as a new band, yet the oddly non-metal monicker of this German kindergarten death squad (average age, 16) isn't really the biggest problem that besets them as they trot out their debut Death Prevails. The CD careens out of the barn with "Unseen Enemy", the riff cool and queasy, but with guitar-work oddly undefined and lacking forcefulness. As the album progresses, this muddiness becomes my biggest gripe. Whether by design to mask less-than-crisp musicianship or just shoddy production, the result is the same: The riff-craft itself is solid, but you find yourself wishing that the guitars would achieve a more satisfying brutality that never materializes. "Gut Candy" is up next, a fairly seamless continuation of the opener, which displays some nifty drumwork from stickman Tim, before continuing on to the catchy riffing of "Ravenous". Here vocalist Phil really comes into his own, presiding with solid deathly growls, blackened shrieks and even a respectable pig squeal, resulting in what is definitely the cd's finest cut. This is followed by another good riff at the outset of the stuttering "Axe Splatter" before it falters, the first of several tracks to display the releases second biggest failing, a tendency to drop into a mid-paced groove that is too laid back. In these instances, the songs drop into an off mid-pace which almost sounds half a step slow, and the band never seems to regain the lost momentum. Next track "Neon Sun" actually starts out this way, but manages to revive itself with an excellent crushing midsection. "Worlds Collide" starts out as a Helmet-esque stab at Nu Metal but falls flat due to the aforementioned mid-tempo lethargy, and it's all over once the atmospheric keyboards kick in. "Symphony of Death" and "Bone Grinder" both suffer from the same malady, solid fast paced riffing initially, which is undermined by an odd slowness late, resulting in both tracks never living up to the heaviness their titles would imply. The CD does end on a strong note however, through the 1:37 of unrestrained crunch in "Again". To the positive, Death Prevails is a collection of 9 quick shots to the dome, complete with quality vocals, solid riffing, and tunes that, while flawed, never overstay their welcome. While not a terrible first effort, Death Prevails always conveys the feeling that the band is holding back. Combine that with the bizarre tempo slowdowns and washed-out production job, and Hackneyed's debut is ultimately reduced to a sloppy, watered-down copy of a copy of Bolt Thrower. Too bad, because if Death Prevails had a little more punch and energy to it there'd be a 7/10 in there somewhere. I wouldn't mind hearing it remixed, because the potential is there. 4/10
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| Last Updated on Friday, 26 September 2008 20:58 |