Review Summary: An enthralling experience, with a touch of vexation in between it all.
If 3TEETH are doing anything right at this point in their career, it’s two things: firstly for their clear awareness on America’s shaky politics/economy at the minute, using their position to express that in an almost punk-like manner and getting it to their fans through social media, and secondly for, ironically, sitting back, like I’m sure many of us have done, musing over whether technology is good or bad for us. I know I for one have occasionally zoned out and stacked up the pros and cons on all this new tech that keeps evolving from year to year; the conclusion I always end up with is that while these advances, and the internet in particular, bring a wealth of information and convenience at your fingertips, I find it all a little frightening and unhealthy for us as people. 3TEETH have focused on this topic in particular for this record and have crafted an album around the concept of technology and human consciousness marrying each other. This theme is a rather dark and disturbing one, simply because there doesn’t seem to be an end to where we are going with the technological advances we create -- morality seems to be taking a backseat, while we ignorantly create things without thinking -- and the very concept feels like a scary nightmare which could soon be a reality.
Now that the band have their idea at the heart of this album, it seems extremely appropriate that it’s coming from a band who creates industrial music. The cold, clinical, industrial setting really emphasises the subject matter, and works heavily in the band’s favour. This is also a tremendous treat for fans of the industrial/industrial metal genre; despite a few problems, which I’ll get into with
shutdown . exe, 3TEETH are one of the genre’s biggest assets, and ensure the music continues to be relevant and influential.
shutdown . exe is a claustrophobic, slick and aggressive wall of sound: the album’s super polished production is something that sucks the humanity out of what these guys are creating, and adds to the bleak nature of the LP. This thing is cranked to 11 from start to finish, with the odd moment where melody breaks through; the opening track, “Divine Weapon”, welcomes its listener to the soothing sound of choir chanting, before the electronics slither on to the track and the robotic crashes of drums, face-crushing guitar distortion and unhinged screams from Alexis spill onto the only humanity you’ll find here. It’s a great opener, and momentum levels at this rate more often than not; it’s follow up, “Pit of Fire”, is a juggernaut anthem of half-time crashes, coupled with electronic, swooping bass waves, while Alexis shifts between his clean and harsh screams. The track is menacingly heavy, yet, surprisingly, as equally accessible; it’s certainly one of this record’s highest points, and shows the band at their best.
From here on out though, it’s a mixed bag of emotions. I’m no stranger in admitting that -- as much as I find industrial, and industrial metal, to be one of my favourite styles of music -- the rip-off ratio from a lot of the contemporary industrial bands today is quite startling. I don’t know if it’s because the style itself is limited when you’re trying to make an "authentic" industrial album, but for the last couple of years I’ve enjoyed a lot of these records with a bitter taste in my mouth: the joy of hearing the style coming back into fruition, but then being equally sour by a particular bands use of plagiarism, which, ultimately dilutes the enjoyment somewhat. What’s frustrating here is 3TEETH clearly have a vision and a sound all of their own -- as is evident on the first two tracks. “Atrophy” and “Oblivion Coil” are, musically, in the same vein as the rest of the album’s aesthetic, but are tarnished by Alexis as he throws a curve ball in your face and sings exactly like Rob Zombie. I don’t mean that in the sense he is using him as an influence, this vocal style sounds like it’s from the man himself -- to the point where it feels like a guest appearance. This in turn creates tonal issues and stops
shutdown . exe from being a superb record, rather than an excellent one. Marilyn Manson and Nivek Ogre are more subtle impressions used here, but this is where the damage is inflicted and it’s a real shame. Especially when it comes to the later section of the record where the music becomes increasingly more interesting: “Insubstantia” and “B.O.A” hold some really interesting instrumental passages and make for some really strong moments here, but the likes of these tracks lean too heavily on their peers of which they’re influenced by, dulling the effect these great pieces should have on you.
Still, I enjoyed this album front to back, and it will surely be enjoyed by fans of this kind of music. The frustration comes from the fact 3TEETH nearly made an industrial record that doesn’t follow the conventional tropes of the genre, and could have been a benchmark, had they stuck to what sounds more organic to them: songs like “Divine Weapon”, “Pit of Fire”, “Voiceless” -- for it’s epic melodies, crescendo building and inclusion of the female vocals that support the track -- and the closing song “Away From Me”, to name a few of the songs that get it really right. Some of the electronics on here are exceptional, and really draw you into the dark tone, the rhythm is extremely effective and is used in all the right ways, while the guitars really bring the pain. Alexis is definitely the fault of
shutdown . exe, but even he is excellent a lot of the time. With the album’s relevant subject matter, punishing production and excellent songwriting, this is likely to be one of the year's best industrial albums, but for anyone looking for that reinvention, you’ll only be half satisfied with the results.
Excellent.
EDITIONS: DIGITAL/C̶D̶/V̶I̶N̶Y̶L̶
PACKAGING: N/A
SPECIAL EDITION: N/A
