Death Machine

Three members of new prog metal heroes Zero Hour have been playing in this band on the side for a while now and Death Machine's debut offering is a solid piece of metal that will appeal to prog-heads and modern metal lovers alike. Eschewing their day job's obsession with all things over-the-top and complicated, Death Machine instead combine a heavy bottom end, a hankering for Meshuggah-like rhythms, a sense of dark melody and a depressingly emotional vibe. This California act is more than adept at doing what they're doing, which would probably keep plenty of Nevermore fans happy (which makes me wonder, do Nevermore fans ever smile?). I can't help but think that these guys aren't going to get the attention they deserve; either relegated to side project status or ghettoised due to the goofy costumes they're donning (at least they're being funny about it). But this is solid stuff, well played, perfectly constructed, and delivered with a great production sound, bringing it through your speakers with the comforting warmth it deserves.