AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE „“Double Brutal””

Music: Metalcore/Thrash
Country: U.S.A.
Web site: http://www.myspace.com/austriandeathmachine


Cool Songs: T2 Theme, Conan, What is Best in Life? (From Conan the Barbarian), Killing is My Business…and Business is Good (from everything / Megadeth cover)

In “The Terminator,” Arnold Schwarzenegger stated those simple-yet-immortal words “I’ll be back,” and he is back to create more crossover metal with AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE. Well, at least the Schwarzenegger impressionist, Chad Ackerman is back with AS I LAY DYING’s front man Tim Lambesis in the creation of “Double Brutal.” This time Lambesis has assembled a cast of guest musicians including Billy Sheehan, Buz McGrath (UNEARTH), Andrew Tapley (THE HUMAN ABSTRACT), Rocky Gray (LIVING SACRIFICE) and others to provide shredding riffage.

“Double Brutal” is an album title with a double meaning. Not only is it the second full-length by the Schwarzenegger-themed project, it is also a double album. The first half, just like “Total Brutal,” contains tracks pertaining to famous quote from Hollywood’s biggest-action-star-turned-Governor. It also has plenty of short comedy skits. The second disc includes a list of covers, which the band used to compare to Schwarzenegger films.

Lambesis and his musical spotters revisit many of the same movies such as “Predator,” “Total Recall,” “Terminator 2,” and “Commando” but look to different quotes for inspiration such as “I Need Your Clothes, Your Boots, Your Motorcycle” (“Terminator 2”) and “Come on, Do it, Do it, Come on, Come on, Kill me, Do it Now (“Predator”).

The music is similar, showing the band recreate the metalcore style of their previous album, which to be expected sounds a lot like AS I LAY DYING. Two movies not covered on the first album are the much-need “Conan, What is Best in Life,” which pays homage to “Conan the Barbarian,” and “It's Simple, If it Jiggles It's Fat” from Arnold’s weightlifting documentary “Pumping Iron.”

Some of the comedic highlights include “Who Writes the Songs? (The Real Bomb Song),” “Hey Cookie Monster, Nothing is as Brutal as Neaahhh” and “Who is Your Daddy, and What Does He? 2.” “Who Writes the Songs” shows Ahhnold dishing out true brutality by asking for rifles and head smashing instead of drums and guitars. “Hey Cookie” plays off the Cookie Monster voice of death metal vocalists, done to the tune of deathcore (which makes total sense). “Who is Your Daddy” references a track from the first album, but does it with the classic comedy routine of “Who’s on First.”

While Lambesis and crew adds hulking pectoral muscles to the music of classic punk rock, hardcore and metal anthems such as MOTORHEAD’s “Iron Fist” and MISFITS “I Turned Into a Martian,” the screaming vocals and Ahhnold’s heavily accented yells are much to be desired.

“Double Brutal” is another fun album with plenty of thrashing rhythms to get your head-abangin,’ and it is good for another laugh. The band recreates much of the same humor as the first album, but still manages to be funny. Bar the MEGADETH and AGNOSTIC FRONT covers, (a band of this sort doing AGNOSTIC FRONT covers just makes senses), the second album doesn’t serve much purpose. The vocals ruin these classics and their connection to Arnold’s movies is slim. Also, I don’t understand why they devoted two songs to Schwarzenegger’s worst character, Mr. Freeze from “Batman and Robin.” Still, if you’re a fan of Schwarzenegger’s films and can at least stomach metalcore, “Double Brutal” is worth checking out.

note: 6/10

Tracklist

Disc 1
01. Double Ahhnold
02. I Need Your Clothes, Your Boots, and Your Motorcycle (from Terminator 2)
03. Let Off Some Steam Bennett (from Commando)
04. Who Writes the Songs? (The Real Bomb Track)
05. It's Simple, If it Jiggles it's Fat (from Pumping Iron)
06. See You at the Party Richter (from Total Recall)
07. Hey Cookie Monster, Nothing is as Brutal as Neaahhh
08. Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies? (from Jingle All the Way)
09. Come on Cohaagen, Give Deez People Ehyar (from Total Recall)
10. Who is Your Daddy, and What Does He? 2
11. Come on, Do it, Do it, Come on, Come on, Kill me, Do it Now (from Predator)
12. Allow Me To Break The Ice (from Batman & Robin)
13. Conan, What is Best in Life? (from Conan the Barbarian)
Disc 2
01. Intro to the Intro
02. T2 Theme
03. Hell Bent for Leather (from Terminator 2 / Judas Priest cover)
04. Time Travel: The Metallica Conspiracy
05. Trapped Under Ice (from Batman & Robin / Metallica cover)
06. Iron Fist (from Terminator / Motörhead cover)
07. Recalling Mars
08. I Turned into a Martian (from Total Recall / Misfits cover)
09. Killing is My Business…and Business is Good (from everything / Megadeth cover)
10. Tactically Dangerous – Cannibal Commando (from Commando / Goretorture cover)
11. Gotta Go (from Terminator / Agnostic Front cover)

Line-up

Tim Lambesis: All instruments and vocals.

Chad Ackerman: Arnold Schwarzenegger impressions/vocals.

Guest Musicians:

Billy Sheehan
Buz McGrath
Andrew Tapley
Rocky Gray
James Gericke
Mark MacDonal
Rusty Cooley