Review Summary: Getting deep, down, and dirty with the human machine.
Similar paradigms can be referenced, but the closing phrases of the US Declaration of Independence, drafted in 1776, paint the complete picture; humans are bound to socialize for the preservation of life, and the pursuit of their happiness. Through the course of time, however, happiness has become a term increasingly free to different interpretations. Material or intangible media that some are deeply fond of, are a profound discomfort to others; hence, when two (any "two") worlds collide, the underlying ground shakes, and mountains of conflict emerge. On the other hand, "everything" is increasingly never enough, irrespective of the magnitude of acquired material wealth, intellectual aptitude, social approval and sexual integration; as a result, less and less people feel complete and at peace with themselves and their neighbors. In their abstract interpretation of the aforementioned, Meshuggah have coated the spot-on neoterism "ObZen" with their industrial-tinged math metal; With their turn, Brooklyn NY industrial powerhouse Hogwasche, are getting deep, down, and dirty with the human machine.
The sharp lyrical content of
MBM, one of its several selling points, revolves around an individual’s pragmatic (cynical even) recovery from unfortunate conditions, as well as its ability to hold on to every aspect of its true identity, despite external criticism. To that end, Sivart’s vocals come as a perfect endorsement, shifting excellently from near-singing, clean-cut prose, to hardcore-styled shrieks, which may bring in mind vocal stalwarts like Gus Chambers (RIP) from Grip Inc.. Interested readers are prompted to listen to “Sink”, in which both vocals styles are implemented, so as to flesh the song’s uprising closure chorus.
The Grip Inc. reference is not accidental, as music-wise, the album stands with one foot on ‘90s groove/nu metal; the other is firmly rooted in industrial, electrogoth (check the somewhat lackluster “M”), and a bit of post-punk (“Redesigned”). The emulation of mundane and monotonous pounding of machines in industrial complexes, is unmatched; The all too known effects provided by modern synthesizers are wisely used, while awesomely recurring guitar patterns do a great job at bringing in most of the songs. Hogwasche are also exploiting the strength of natural sounds, commonly found in urban environments, like the sampled sound of empty cans being dropped on concrete (“OCS”). On the other hand, the oral speech samples used in cuts like the groove-laden anthem “Switch”, will merely remind seasoned and new industrial fans, that the spot-on usage of human prose in the genre, is and always will be of paramount importance regarding the amplification of its inherent decay.
For some reason, it is relatively difficult to come across good industrial these days, despite the fact that the world decay to be framed within works of art, is becoming more and more diverse. Could it be that new outfits have lost faith in the legacy of the genre’s great old ones? Or, is it their hollow desire for differentiation, that drives the final music to sound poor most of the time? Hogwasche are certainly not part of the aforementioned speculations, since it’s immediately evident that they know old school industrial and nu-metal (sic) like the back of their hands. What’s more, they have a keen sense of song writing economy, that will remove them from utter obscurity in due time, when heard by the right ears.
