THE MACHETE „Untrue”

THE MACHETE is a quite young band from Finland which issued two full-length albums so far. ‘Untrue’ is their second endeavour and a decent one as for the band which started its career several years ago. While Finland is recently associated with gothic music stars called NIGHTWISH, THE MACHETE seems to be a great alternative for those who prefer more extreme music.

The album starts with a powerful track called 'Human Being Human’ which is a mixture of Death Metal and Hardcore riffs. The song turns into ‘Warmonger’ that is characterized by rock’n’roll main riff and simple drum beating. The third song, on the other hand, is based on the mid-paced tempo.

The variety of styles in the songs mentioned above proves that the musicians do not want to limit themselves to only one style. It is clearly visible that they are influenced by many different bands and genres. The listener may find interesting song constructions which is always highly praised when such a move is successful and in the case of this album it mostly is. Musically, especially in heavier and more dynamic parts, everything is on its right place. The songs have some interesting structures and quite a lot of interesting riffs in each track. Unfortunately, melodic singing, implemented here and there, is not an advantage of this album. In my humble opinion, such parts ruin the strength of the songs and make them draw closer to new-metal. The two ballads on the album confirm the rule that the band is far more innovative in typical thrash-like numbers. Both ‘No Solace’ and ‘Lie Agreed Upon’ are the trials of marrying the aggression with mellowness, unfortunately the final outcome is not convincing enough. Instead of introducing intriguing balance between brutality and beauty, the screams uncomfortably clash with the melodic singing. Although there are plenty of songs which sound great with such contradictions, these two cannot be perceived as the ones.

‘Untrue’ is surely worth checking out as the album gives a solid amount of pleasantly kicking metal. The guitar sound is massive and dynamic, which is one of the most important factors in the genre. Obviously, my final note wouldn’t be that high if it wasn’t for good songs on the album. The musicians prove that they feel good and comfortable within their style. Apart from the abovementioned semi-ballads, the tracks don’t show the signs of being composed in great unproductive pains.

note: 7/10

Tracklist

1. Human Being Human
2. Warmonger
3. Shatters
4. Blow By Blow
5. No Solace
6. Ready For Blood
7. Back For More
8. Ignorance
9. Craving
10. Life Sold
11. Lie Agreed Upon
Duration: 42:53

Line-up

Tuomo Saikkonen – Vocals
Santtu Hämäläinen – Guitar
Juha Javanainen – Guitar
Teemu Saikkonen – Drums
Antti Vajanto – Bass