Forcefeed - Self-Titled [Album]

Glasstone Records

January 20, 2009, 11:39 AM

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Crunchy, fuzzy, dirty, smashy. Excellent. Occasional harmonised clean vocals, but don’t fret, the guttural screeching and throat-busting screams will by default return for the next verse. Fantastic. To compensate for the complete lack of tempo interest or implemented musical development, most of the tracks cruise on for at least 5 minutes each. Awesome.

Can you seriously love this? Can you honestly sit and prise it apart and believe it’s the best thing since sliced Slipknot? Admittedly my nu metal days have been banished solely to years gone by, a brief semi-pubescent fling with Limp Bizkit lurking hazardously in dusty cupboards alongside ancient Ministry of Sound mix-tapes and Celine Dion b-sides. Guilty pleasures are good for the soul, I confess – Forcefeed are not. Clinging unashamedly to drop D and voice-busting growling, these Dutch hard-nuts should perhaps get with the times, up their game, or at least try a bit harder to explain to me why this dying genre is so fucking irresistible in the first place.
Back in civil mode, it IS fair to say that Forcefeed does the average well. Chug chug, clash clash, raw raw - a fuzzball bundle of heavily rhythmical riffs and tightly glued chromaticism, it’s all mosh-worthy. “Of The Masses” showcases these qualities, but deserves no distinction, as so do pretty much all the other songs on the self-titled distortion-fest. As I previously mentioned there is no attempt at driving hooks faster or lingering back into the most sickening of metal ‘ballads’ – Lennard, Remy, Yoeri, Marc and Bart keep a steady bash for the entire 45 minutes and from what I can distinguish, don’t even venture out of the same key, which again does nothing for my technical interpretation of their genre, yet alone adjusts my taste. Live a little, darlings. “Moderation” opens up like an agigated beehive (or a lawnmower, whichever takes your fancy), and for a split second I believe the album may pick up midway, but alas, it’s back to the mono-drone and painful, non-understandable croak on following track “The End of All”. OK, so this tune does feature some half decent System-esque harmony talents, but this alone won’t save it - Lennard Barendse gut-screeches along with all the skill of a trombone being played out his rear end). It was surprising to learn that this is actually Forcefeed’s third full-length record, because it sounds so starkly similar to a 4-track demo laid down in a bedroom by that nondescript, aged ‘metal’ group who frequent your local youth club.

Harsh words? Harder times. If Forcefeed want to remain a semi-successful unit in this cynical and expectant 21st century, they’d better chew over some more engaging musical ideas and spit them over Europe pretty darn quick, before they become just another one of these one-trick pony units we’re all too likely to forget.

http://www.myspace.com/forcefeedband

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