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Album Review – Motograter / Desolation (2017)

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Get “motograted” by the thrilling fusion of Alternative Metal and Hard Rock blasted by this tenacious American outfit.

Do you know what a “motograter” is? If you’re familiar with the fusion of Alternative Metal, Heavy Metal and Hard Rock crafted by a relentless American squad known as Motograter, you already known that the “motograter” is a homemade musical instrument designed with industrial cable and guitar pieces that creates a unique bass sound, and by that you can imagine how thunderous their music sounds. Formed in 1995 in Santa Barbara, California, United States, the band (which by the way displays a tribal style body paint for their live concerts) has suffered considerable lineup changes and a few split-ups since their inception, but that didn’t stop the band from keeping on rocking, being reunited once again a few years ago and releasing this year their second full-length album after their 2003 debut self-titled release (featuring Ivan Moody from Five Finger Death Punch on vocals), the hard and heavy Desolation, now with James Legion (Deadform, The Breathing Process) on the vocal duties.

As aforementioned, the reinvigorated Motograter, comprised of the talented James Legion on vocals, Matthew “Nuke” Nunes and Jesse Stamper on guitars, Mylon Guy on bass, Noah “Shark” Robertson on drums and Dustin “Skunk” Anderson on the motograter, will hit you in the face with a feast of alternative and metallic sounds found in their new album, with the artwork designed by Mister-Sam Shearon (who has already worked with renowned bands such as Iron Maiden, Ministry, Rob Zombie and Rammstein, among several others, and also created covers for comic books and graphic novels including Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Judge Dredd and The X-Files) effectively representing the energy and aggressiveness you’ll find throughout the entire album. With that said, are you ready to be “motograted” by this insane metal tribe?

You’ll experience modernity and electricity flowing from the very first second of the opening track Parasite, where Mylon, Noah and Dustin provide their welcome card in the form of thunderous and vibrant background sounds, giving all the necessary support for James to thrive with his vocals in an awesome blend of Hard Rock with Alternative and Nu Metal. Gripping guitar lines kick off another born-to-be-a-hit composition by Motograter, titled Dorian, with Matthew and Jesse slashing our ears with their riffs while Noah keeps the musicality as heavy as it can be with his pounding drums, not to mention the song’s completely addictive chorus that won’t leave your head for a few weeks; and their galvanized, rumbling sounds continue to permeate the atmosphere in Victim, another great sample of their contemporary Alternative Metal led by the ominous vocals by James.

In the excellent Paragon it becomes clear that those American metallers will never get tired of piercing our brains with their rumbling tones and roars, with the motograter going along really well with the song’s guitar riffs and the potent voice by James, being perfect for banging our heads nonstop together with the band due to its modern and thrilling rhythm. Slowing down a bit and sounding less metallic, Bleeding Through is a semi-ballad by this skillful sextet recommended for some radio play, albeit not as dynamic and fun as the rest of the album, followed by Misanthropical, which despite feeling like it’s going to be another ballad, it slowly morphs into an obscure metal chant with the motograter shaking the foundations of the earth, while the infernal duo Noah and Mylon continue to set fire to the music, and with the song’s guttural vocals adding some good amount of fury to the overall result. Daggers keeps the album at a great level of intricacy and stamina in an interesting mix of what’s almost a dark ballad with the heavier sounds of Alternative Metal, with Mathew and Jesse being fantastic on guitars, delivering both smoother and more electrified riffs during the whole song.

The last part of the album begins with Portrait of Decay, a hybrid of the more visceral music by Slipknot with the melody found in bands such as Alter Bridge, therefore becoming another strong candidate to become a radio favorite due to its catchy pace and vocals. Locust sounds and feels more aggressive than most of the album’s previous tracks, with Noah smashing his drums flawlessly while Mylon and Dustin make sure the music remains vibrant at all times (and let’s not forget about its harsh growls, one of the main ingredients that make this tune so amazing). Rise (There Will Be Blood), the second to last tune in Desolation, is one of those songs to jump up and down with the band during their live performances, bringing elements of more alternative bands like Linkin Park to their already potent sonority, followed by Shadows, a decent dark ballad that’s slightly below what Motograter can offer us despite the great job done by James on vocals. It’s still very enjoyable, though, especially if you’re into modern metal ballads.

In case you feel you’re more than ready to be “motograted” by Motograter, simply follow them on Facebook and listen to their music on YouTube or on Spotify. And if Desolation brings forward all you enjoy in modern metal music, you can buy your copy at the EMP Label Group webstore as a regular CD or as a CD + t-shirt bundle, as well as on iTunes, on Amazon or at Discogs. Not only Desolation has all elements needed to be a must-have album for admirers of contemporary Alternative Metal, but above all it will definitely help Motograter in solidifying their path in heavy music, and let’s hope the band’s lineup is finally stabilized once and for all and that they keep delivering high-end albums like this one for many years to come.

Best moments of the album: Parasite, Dorian, Paragon and Locust.

Worst moments of the album: Bleeding Through and Shadows.

Released in 2017 EMP Label Group

Track listing
1. Parasite 3:46
2. Dorian 3:46
3. Victim 3:30
4. Paragon 4:03
5. Bleeding Through 3:28
6. Misanthropical 3:41
7. Daggers 4:21
8. Portrait of Decay 3:35
9. Locust 3:42
10. Rise (There Will Be Blood) 3:40
11. Shadows 3:18

Band members
James Legion – vocals
Matthew “Nuke” Nunes – guitar
Jesse Stamper – guitar
Mylon Guy – bass
Noah “Shark” Robertson – drums
Dustin “Skunk” Anderson – motograter

Guest musicians
Aleksi Oksa – samples
Justin Fowler, Ahrue Luster & Jon Berrier – additional samples

Album Review – Fractal Generator / Apotheosynthesis (2015)

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A chaotic and thrilling Death Metal album in perfect harmony with human ambition, representing in an apocalyptical way what lies ahead for our unbalanced world.

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“The universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition.” – Carl Sagan

Those thoughtful words by American astronomer Carl Sagan are not only bang on to describe all the ravaging chaos and disorder caused by mankind that’s leading our world to a dreadful end, but also extremely accurate in depicting the insane music found in Apotheosynthesis, the debut full-length album by Canadian Atmospheric Death Metal act Fractal Generator.

According to this Sudbury-based band, who by the way are located at the specific coordinates 46.471716, -81.186792, the word “apotheosynthesis” means “to distill something to the essence of perfection”, and that’s what this power trio proposes during the entire album with their solid blend of extreme music, science, space, the chaos theory, a sci-fi ambience, technology and synthetic feelings. Moreover, it’s interesting to notice the evolution in their compositions from their 2008 demo The Cannibalism of Objects to Apotheosynthesis, as if the band progressed at the same roaring pace as our society, which ends up adding an extra layer of veracity to the new album.

The sonic devastation Cycle kicks off this intricate album offering a mix of the most brutal Death Metal with progressiveness and harmonious passages, without stopping or slowing down for a single second, and with the growls by lead singer/bassist 040118180514 (whose real name is Darren Favot) sounding like an ominous cosmic creature behind all the chaotic havoc generated by all instruments; followed by the magnificent Face Of The Apocalypse, where its futuristic intro, blast beats and harsh vocal lines generate a dense and dark atmosphere. While drummer 040114090512 (aka Dan Favot) sounds like a hammering machine, the bass lines by 040118180514 keep punching you in the head mercilessly, leaving you completely disoriented after this amazing display of extreme music ends. In addition, its lyrics couldn’t be more realistic in regards to what mankind is doing to the entire planet (“Endless replication / A cancerous mutation / Of the mother earth / Merciless consumption / An unprecedented emergency”).

Fractal Generator band pictureAbandon Earth has a very suggestive (and true) name perfectly represented in the music (which contains elements from the best Death Metal bands in history such as Deicide, Cannibal Corpse and Morbid Angel) as the hopeless state we’re living in, with highlights to the sinister riffs by guitarist 102119200914 (aka Justin Rienguette) and the furious experimentation crafted by the band. Then we have a fuckin’ massacre entitled Into The Unknown, a very solid tune from start to finish where drummer 040114090512 sounds like a heartless beast while its riffs give a sense of despair and madness; and Paragon, more inclined to traditional Death Metal with hints of Blackened Death Metal (which is always a good thing) and even Black Metal. It’s one of the best of all tracks, very technical and organic (representing the band’s essence), especially due to the sound of its bass guitar which kind of makes us bang our heads like crazy to this evil chant.

The following tune, Human, should have its name changed to “inhuman” due to its infernal rhythm, because no regular human being is capable of crafting such brutish musicality. Its bass and riffs are highly influenced by the unique sounding of Death Metal giants Cannibal Corpse, and I’m certain no one can survive the live performances by Fractal Generator with wicked songs like this one being played. And if you think the band will slow down anytime you’re absolutely wrong, as they keep firing insane riffs, beats and fills in The Singularity, showcasing an outstanding performance by 040114090512 behind his drum kit and an old school vibe with the welcome addition of elements from modern extreme music, while in Synthetic Symbiosis they somehow managed to deliver an even darker sounding where violence is taken to the highest possible level. Besides, the synchronicity between riffs and drumming is what makes this song so enjoyable and full-bodied, and just in case you survive this wonderful onslaught get ready for the aftermath in the creepy tune Reflections, the perfect soundtrack for the end of the world, focusing on its dense instrumental rather than on vocals or lyrics (which are barely existent in this case) before the music fades away, being replaced by a melancholic ambience. I might be wrong, but it seems there’s a trend for Death Metal bands who rely on specific themes on their albums to always craft a climatic ending to their releases, which ends up augmenting the value and dynamism of the overall result.

In order to get a hold of this cosmic battle developed by Fractal Generator, go check the band’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and ReverbNation page. And after all is said and done, we all must agree with Carl Sagan that the universe is not required to be in perfect harmony with human ambition, but also that this talented Canadian act makes sure their chaotic and thrilling music is, representing in an apocalyptical way what lies ahead for our unbalanced world.

Best moments of the album: Face Of The Apocalypse, Paragon and Synthetic Symbiosis.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2015 Independent

Track listing
1. Cycle 4:09
2. Face Of The Apocalypse 4:18
3. Abandon Earth 5:43
4. Into The Unknown 4:47
5. Paragon 4:25
6. Human 4:54
7. The Singularity 4:19
8. Synthetic Symbiosis 4:08
9. Reflections 8:54

Band members
040118180514 – vocals, bass
102119200914 – guitar, backing vocals
040114090512 – drums

https://youtu.be/-EBmd2OHqV4