British metal
At last some proper British metal, it seems we're being inundated with imports from Sweden, Finland, Germany and Uzbekistan. Well maybe not the last one but you get the idea. Not I'm not complaining, there is some utterly brilliant stuff coming from Mainland Europe and Scandinavia but sometimes it's just nice to get a home grown band for a change, as long as they're good.
Rue the Day (great name) are good, in fact I would go so far as to say they are very good, they're like a modern take on Maiden/Metallica with singalong choruses and twin guitars giving it plenty. Actually while I'm on the subject I must say the guitar work on this album is top notch, second track 'Careless Talk' is a case in point with some fantastic shredding going on.
Singer Jack Clothier has a good scream on him, his range is a little limited in the clean sections but he carries the songs well, he is bolstered by some powerhouse drumming from Mark Jessop. These guys can really play and I imagine they're quite a force live, unfortunately they've only got gigs booked in the south of the country at the moment or I'd pop along myself.
This album has some great songs, from the aforementioned 'Careless Talk' through title track 'The Machine' to stomper 'From the Ashes' however the album does mistep a few times with 'Rival' a song hamstrung by an awful chorus and 'Pretty Girls (Get Split)' which despite almost stealing the main riff from Iron Maiden's '2 Minutes to Midnight' manages to sound like American Rock and has a terrible title. However just when you think the album is running out of steam along comes a saviour in the shape of 'Warrior' which brings back a raw edge with top notch musicianship.
Production is pretty good too, nicely balanced so everyone gets a bit of space in the mix, clean and suiting the style of music. For a debut album this is damn good and I hope they get the opportunity to evolve with future releases. Check em out at their myspace site and have a listen to 'The Machine'