The Pitch: L.A. industrial metal band 3Teeth continue their rise to fame with a new album via Century Media Records. FFO: Mindless Faith, NIN, Marilyn Manson
What I Like: Slowly but surely over the past 3 or 4 years, 3Teeth have become less Skinny Puppy/Ministry and more Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. Whether that's a compliment or outright slur largely depends on your personal tastes. In any case, expect Metawar to be the band's most diverse and bombastic outing to date. The heavy moments are more over the top than ever, with tracks like "President X" taking me back to days spent listening to Astrocreep and Holy Wood. The bitter vocals, spooky synth lines, and catchy, machinelike guitars pull stongly, sometimes violently, from the late 90's era of industrial rock and metal that once ruled the airwaves. And speaking of which, I strongly believe that there is an alternative radio audience champing at the bit for music like this if stations only find their balls to play it. The first 5 tracks in particular were seemingly designed in a lab for mass distribution with their pulsating, often danceable energy; coming to a goth rave or steampunk club near you.
Critiques: Overall I think that <shutdown.exe> was a more balanced and consistent album. The slower tracks and experimentation in the second half take a turn for more of a gloomyy Depeche Mode vibe. "Blackout" is decent I guess. In a way I might compare this to the same trajectory we saw from Marilyn Manson as he moved from Mechanical Animals to Holy Wood. We all saw what happened after that, so I think that a slight course correction may be in order.
The Verdict: Despite some inconsistency, Metawar is still a very fun and enjoyable album brimming with infectious tunes. I would even go so far as to say it is better overall than the latest Rammstein effort. Fight me. Great industrial metal albums are few and far between these days, but 3Teeth have the music, branding, and overall potential to bring us the resurgence we never knew we so desperately needed.
Flight's Fav's: Affluenza, Exxxit, President X
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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