Aural Kismet.
Bryan Syminiuk | Manahawkin, NJ | 08/07/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"GREYMACHINE - Disconnected
Me, being a huge Jesu fan as well a loyal ISIS fan, it was only natural for me to check this out. Let me just start by saying, this album is HUGE! Huge in the fact that the bass alone is enough to whirl one into a seizure (see the track "Wasted") and leave them comatose for weeks, maybe even months. Ok, enough figurative metaphors, lets delve into the music. _Disconnected_ is a journey through middle earth with its peaks and valleys and rigid tempo changes. The "Vocals" used throughout the album sound like they were recorded in some crater on the planet Gilese. They add a ferocious and nightmarish vibe to the already creepy/intense atmosphere that the music is creating. By the time you know what hits you, its too late, Mr. Turner and Mr. Broadrick have already sucked you into their abyss of twisted sounds, chaotic chants and menacing guitar swells of mountainous proportions. I def. get a SWANS vibe from this record, reminds me of _Soundtracks For the Blind_ in certain spots as well as _The Great Annihilator_ which, are two of my favorite SWANS albums so the more influence they pull from M. Gira and Co. the better I say. Each and every song on _Disconnected_ is punishing, ethereal, unrelenting and IMO, beautiful. I love how they incorporate the "Signal transmission" sounds throughout most of the piece, it really adds to the otherworldly aura that they are going for on this recording. A lot of people wont understand this album being that, its a super dense and challenging listen with a ton of layers and sounds going on on top of one another. Repeated listens will reveal the beauty underneath the madness. Word of warning to Jesu and ISIS fans, *This album is NOTHING like Justin's or Aaron's other projects* so proceed with caution.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the challenge of digesting a really, really heavy album. It left me in awe by the third listen. Ive been waiting for this collab. for a long time and now that its finally here, im going to wallow in it. Amazing record, BUY IT!"
A big mess.
Gordon Strachan | Dallas | 10/04/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Titleing this "a big mess" doesn't mean this is a lousy album.What I mean is that the production of it is a big mess-but this really adds to its brilliance.This release doesn't sound like it was produced.The mix is so incredibly muddy it's hard to make any of the instruments or vocals out.The sampling is the key here-each track is so heavily triggered it makes every sound more massive than it actually is.I thought that Broadrick working with Turner would produce something a lot clearer than this release is,but the way it was done makes it definitely work in the exact opposite direction.Monolithic is an understatement in describing "Disconnected".Every tune is a thick soup of overdriven guitar,bass & drums that are extremely freaky and paranoiac and the overuse of samples enhance rather than hinder the sound.To me,Broadrick can do no wrong and this was very welcome because this is sick,heavy & totally reminiscent of his Godflesh days-but completely different.There is a bit of hip-hop influence in "Sweatshop",something Justin hasn't incorporated this heavily since Techno Animal.A lot of "Disconnected" reminds me of Isis-the way a couple of tracks have a ringing quality to them.If you like J.B. as much as I do,you need this cd!"
Soundtrack to the Apocalypse.
Rob T. | Hartford, CT | 08/16/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I know it seems cliche to refer to music as "apocalyptic", but no other term seems more appropriate to describe Greymachin. We all know the project's pedigree. The music, however, seems more akin to Swans, Bodychoke, and early Godflesh than it is to Jesu or Isis. That said, definitely worth checking out for fans of crushing noise, industial sludge, and post-metal. Nightmarish, oppressive, and heavy as hell. Not for the faint of heart."
