The Butcher "Mass Destruction Manual" CD
[Gangstyle]
Here's some sarcastic metalcore from The Netherlands that kicks a bit of a crossover vibe to some degree, but definitely on the heavier and more moderately paced side of things. I can hear a D.R.I. type of influence, but it's not as fast and it's definitely not at all political. Shit, there's a song on here called "Ketchup is King", so... that should tell you something right there. There are some considerably fast passages here, but it's always got more of a hard-edged punk vibe, sometimes complete with raw solos and stuff like that. And then there's the palm-muting and the double bass drumming kicking in the metallic aspects, so... "Officer Porkchop" is one of the best songs because it's catchy and memorable, combining all of their various musical influences fluidly and effectively with content that's amusing without being cheesy. Hell, there's even a little bit of raspy singing as opposed to the straight yelling vocals that are usually present. The same goes for the equally catchy "My Problem is You". As you might guess the songs are pretty damn short too, only one hitting three minutes, and most barely hitting two at best, which actually helps keep things moving along. The production is alright, but it needs work. The drums sound alright, but along with the vocals they're a bit dominant. I'd up the bass (even though thankfully it's usually pretty prominent) and definitely thicken up the guitar distortion and give 'em more volume. The guitars are definitely too quiet and slightly thin. I get used to it after awhile, but I would enjoy this a hell of a lot more with an even mix that gave the guitars more force. The layout uses some nice stylized drawings showing a guy reading a book amongst a pile of skulls, dead bodies, and other filth, and the inside of the booklet is made out to look like the pages of a book (complete with bloody fingerprint smears on the pages). The lyrics are all a total joke, not unlike the S.O.D./M.O.D. style, though not quite as over the top or amusing. "Too many morons walk this earth, They should've all been shot at birth, It's out of control, just drop the bomb, Fire in the hole, Too many morons walk this earth, They're breathing air they don't deserve, It's a disease, it's spread worldwide, Time to die..." I like this, they just really do need a thicker or more even sound to pull it off. I wouldn't mind if they canned the songs about ketchup and such and stuck with other humorous material, but whatever. Not bad, though. (6/10)
Running time - 36:32, Tracks: 20
[Notable tracks: Officer Porkchop, Mass Destruction Manual, My Problem is You, Down the Drain, M.O.S.H.]
Gangstyle Records - http://www.gangstylerecords.com

This review has been displayed 1898 times.