The Red Chord - Fed Through the Teeth Machine
Rating
RIYL
AnimosityGlass Casket
Despised Icon
Release Date
10/27/2009
Label
Metal BladeTracklist
1. Demoralizer2. Hour of Rats
3. Hymns and Crippled Anthems
4. Embarrassment Legacy
5. Tales of Martyrs and Disappearing Acts
6. Floating Through the Vein
7. Ingest the Ash
8. One Robot to Another
9. Mouthful of Precious Stones
10. The Ugliest Truth
11. Face Area Solution
12. Sleepless Nights in the Compound
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Boston's The Red Chord has always been called the seminal deathcore band. While the genre has changed listlessly since they released their first album in 2002, they continue to progress their own unique sound through releases like 2009's Fed Through the Teeth Machine. While most fans seemed to enjoy Prey for Eyes, many were deterred because of stylistic changes and a different feel from other albums. The band has made it clear, however, that this album is more focused and a return to a heavier Red Chord, which the world can now hear.
The album's opener, “Demoralizer,” is strikingly heavy. The band's self production makes some of the chugging portions sound as heavy and metallic as a battleship. They're almost percussive in nature, and the grinding sound of the guitar actually seems like it has been fed through some sort of machine. Something else that's easily noticeable is that the band hasn't suffered in any form by losing a guitarist. Mike “Gunface” Mackenzie steps up to the plate as usual and provides the listener's senses with his most vicious assault yet. Not only does Gunface come through in classic form, but the band's drummer, Brad Fickeisen, seems to be playing while under the influence of something illegal. From the start, his drumming sounds superhuman. His blast beats seem to have multiplied in speed, and everything sounds extremely tight. Following the superb opener are six other songs that fly by but leave a lasting mark as some of the very best that the band has ever written. “Hour of Rats” features an incredibly short, yet attention grabbing, guitar solo by Gunface in addition to some of Guy Kozowyk's trademark lyrical abilities. The lyrics retain the same Red Chord feel and direction, but the delivery seems to be refined from previous releases. The same can be said for “Hymns and Crippled Anthems,” which is ended by a static-surrounded breakdown and Guy's menacing vocals. “Floating Through the Vein” is another good example of signature Red Chord lyrics, as well as Gunface's classic sense of melody shining through at certain moments. Hearing Guy scream, “Call to arms: Line the streets with their dead,” makes the song. It's sure to be an instant live classic if only for that one line.
The second half of the album opens with “Ingest the Ash,” which is Greg Weeks' standout track. Providing his typical blend of rhythmic and melodic bass playing, it's clear that he realizes how much more pronounced and supportive he must be while the band is lacking a second guitarist. Following it is “Mouthful of Precious Stones,” which is one of the heaviest tracks on the album, as well as the second longest. While Gunface's performance on this album is fantastic and all his own, another notable contribution he makes comes through a microphone instead of his guitar. His first attempt at providing support since Fused Together in Revolving Doors, he makes his effort well worth the time on “The Ugliest Truth” and “Face Area Solution.” Rounding out the album with a melodic and drawn out track called “Sleepless Nights in the Compound,” it is clear that the band has put forth everything they had to offer for this release.
When Gunface called it faster and heavier, he nailed it. Fed Through is impressive in its consistent and focused attack. Though its length is lacking by the band's standards, it makes for a quick and clean listen. Thirty four minutes isn't pushing the boundaries of listenability, and one can easily pack in a few songs on a short commute. It's a nice feature, but what makes it stand out is the amount of memorable moments that the band manages to create within the onslaught of two minute tracks. Through its driving energy and punishing amount of groove, Fed Through the Teeth Machine is no doubt the best Red Chord release since their debut, as well as a very optimistic contender for album of the year.
--Cody Rogers
Comments
PA
"Hour of Rats" is maybe my favorite Red Chord song now. Good review, Cody. I have to listen to this a bit more yet.
Music Blog.
Depths blog. (my band)
Minnesota
Definitely not 4.5/5 material. Sorry. It's good, but not that good. I do think it is the band's best effort so far, though.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Infinitely Inwards
Just good enough to merit multiple listens, but definitely nothing overly impressive. TRC will always be the band that made me like deathcore.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
ERRA - Impulse
Aborted - Global Flatline
Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Raleigh, NC
I think one of the key reasons I gave this a 4.5 out of 5 was because it was one of the few albums this year that surpassed my expectations. I think there may have been only two or three other releases this year that didn't disappoint me in some way, and this was one of them.
Wilmington DE
every song sounds the same to me.....maybe this just isn't my style but their first album just had that certain something that made it immensly entertaining. They really dont experiment at all on this album and its pretty much straight up deathcore which to some could be pretty refreshing but for me it just bores me. Maybe it will grow on me with more listens but right now it would be a chore to have to listen to this whole album again.
Listening to:
Tides of Man
Oceansize
The Contortionist
We are the City
Periphery
Lehigh Valley, PA
I have never been able to get into this band.
what? DEATHCORE? im sorry, but i cant find ONE FUCKING BREAKDOWN on the whole cd that falls into the deathcore category. did you even listen to the album? theres nothing about this entire album that spells "deathcore". no generic breakdowns, no off-note breakdowns, nothing like that.
did you hear the solos? that was the first time ive ever heard a solo like that from the red chord, let alone any band, in my life.
you, sir, are wrong.
Raleigh, NC
I wasn't listening to it when it was formed, but if the Red Chord are truly the progenitors of deathcore like EVERYONE says they are, the genre has surely devolved.
Infinitely Inwards
FTIRD's is a mixture of grindcore and modern death metal. It, by underground standards, is one of the first "deathcore" albums. The only other bandsaround that time (2002-2003)that were blending those same genres were Despised Icon , AlL Shall perish, and Animosity. All the other styles of Deathcore (Whitechapel, The Faceless, The Yellow Sign)came later because of Meshuggah and other Tech Death Influences. Not arguing, just throwing some info out there for anyone who cares.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
ERRA - Impulse
Aborted - Global Flatline
Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Wilmington DE
i guess i dont know what the hell im talking about when it comes to "deathcore". To me Red Chord sounds like a band that mixes grindcore and death metal together hence the deathcore term.
Listening to:
Tides of Man
Oceansize
The Contortionist
We are the City
Periphery
FL
never been huge on these guys, but i enjoy this one a lot.
www.falseidolphoto.com
www.facebook.com/fromtheembrace
West Haven, CT
Deathcore= Grindcore and Death Metal. Somewhere down the line bands who play non stop breakdowns and write annoying lyrics about trendy garbage somehow took over the term and made it their own.
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Infinitely Inwards
Exactly.
Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright
Fallujah - The Harvest Wombs
The New Law - The Fifty Year Storm
ERRA - Impulse
Aborted - Global Flatline
Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning
Crippled Black Phoenix - (Mankind)The Crafty Ape
Actually, deathcore = hardcore + death metal. All Shall Perish was one of the earliest bands to popularize the genre - The Red Chord were considered metalcore when they first started, back in the times before the term "deathcore" existed.
Raleigh, NC
Yeah, technically, wouldn't deathgrind be a more accurate term for grindcore and death metal? I'm still very, very hazy on what makes a band fall under grindcore, but I do know that I have no idea what the Red Chord actually is. I do feel that bands like Animosity (RIP) and All Shall Perish are actually hardcore and death metal mixed, however.