I have to say that when it comes to new bands Droid
has a serious leg up on their debut self-titled album.
Released on executive producer James C. Schaeffer’s
(known as Munky to legions of Korn fans) Emotional
Syphon Recordings and mixed and mastered by the legendary
Tue Madsen, this album has a lot going for it before
it even gets into your CD player (Damn right! I still
play CDs!). The bottom line is whether or not these
guys can play, of course, and as it turns out, they
can.
Droid offer up a mostly metalcore album full of brash
and testosterone fueled songs that hit the breakdown
at every turn. “The Resurrection” and
“Fueled by Hate” swing the hammer right
from the first note, barely letting up at all. “No
Gods No Masters” defers a little from the established
norm with its Gothenburg style guitar work and while
it’s not the most original thing I have ever
heard, it gives the album a depth it didn’t
have before that point. “Behind Dead Eyes”
is another song that lends some support to the notion
that this band is capable of more than they are letting
on, with its stoner rock vs. Lamb of God swagger.
The flat out hardcore anthem “Together We Die”
really isn’t a standout per se musically but
the band capture the spirit of the anthem on it, which
thoroughly impresses me because that is a dying art
form my friend.
All in all Droid’s debut is solid at the very
least and a metalcore standout at best. The band definitely
offers enough moments of interest that you don’t
want to turn your head away for too long. I’m
hearing quite a buzz about their live show as well
as reports flood in from the Family Values tour so
I’m guessing Droid haven’t laid out their
full hand just yet. I have never been a huge fan of
metalcore to be perfectly straight with you but I
am old enough to have seen enough genres come and
go to know that there are standouts in every genre
that will live forever and Droid could very well be
one of them. Fans of newer Hatebreed, Dry Kill Logic,
Meshuggah, and maybe even Daath should not miss this
one.
Key Tracks: “No Gods No Masters,” “Behind
Dead Eyes”
Reviewed by Mark Fisher |
