PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Man.Machine.Industry hold a wee place in my heart thanks to them being one of the first bands I reviewed when I started writing for Planetmosh in 2012. I loved their then release, Lean Back Relax and Watch the World Burn, and it’s great to see J.Bergman return to create more of this wonderful music after his recent TRIA project.
I’m hoping this is a small taster of what is to come from the next full MMI album because, like the TRIA project EP he seems to have a knack of producing real catchy, driving riffs, tinged with industrial and new romantic undertones.
Opening track The Cross pounds out the gates, mixing that industrial undercurrent with interspersed samples to great effect. Bergman’s vocals remind me too of that new romantic age of the 80s he holds in such high regard and at times he sounds positively Numan-esque.
Kill throws you down a completely different road while still keeping these flavours intact. It’s more progressive and a mix of Dream Theater and Megadeth in particular. In places it reminds me of In My Darkest Hour, others it’s like something you would have found on Images and Words. Probably the most intricate and complex track on the EP that keeps you hooked from start to finish.
Third track Colours finds itself steeped in that new romantic, industrial vibe that is pretty much MMI in a nutshell. Take away the heavy guitars from the chorus in this track and you could be listening to one of those huge synthed up hooks you got back in the 80s.
The EP closes out with a brilliant shredder, Slave. Probably the most conventional metal track on the album but none the worse for it. It yet again shows another side to Bergman’s writing and creativity and is full of punkish attitude and aggression complete with fist-pupming beatdown towards the end. This one has crowd pleaser stamped all over it.
If you haven’t heard Man.Machine.Industry before then you really have to check out this EP as it’s the perfect introduction to what you can expect. Bergman continues to perfect and hone this new romantic, industrial metal to a tee. Roll on the next full album because I’m expecting it to be a monster.
The Cross EP is released digitally on 14th Feb
Track Listing:
1. The Cross
2. Kill
3. Colours
4. Slave
MAN.MACHINE.INDUSTRY is a solo project driven by frontman/producer/main song writer J. Bergman
Links:
manmachineindustry.blogspot.co.uk
www.facebook.com/manmachineindustry
www.youtube.com/manmachineindustry
twitter.com/mmisweden
