Album review: MAN THE MACHETES – Idiokrati

Indie Recordings – Out Now.

Indie Recordings in a Norwegian Label with an eye for all things unusual and unique-sounding. Want me to throw a few names at you? How about Borknagar, Vreid, Cult Of Luna and Wardruna– all bands that, as a result of the label’s strong support, have been featured on the pages of many prestigious music-related magazines in recent times.

Well, the hunt for the next unique band seems to still be on, as suggested by the label’s decision to offer a contract to Man The Machetes – a band whose musical affiliations do not lie with any specific genre but which is instead happy to shamelessly flirt with Punk, Rock n’Roll and Metal in equal measure. These five Norwegians have just released their debut album “Idiokrati”.

Rock n’Roll groovy riffs in a Metal composition are a winning combination and so I approached these ten compositions full of expectation. The end result? Strangely enough, even though Man The Machetes managed to blend these varied elements in the way I was hoping they would, the end result was not as impressive as it ought to have been. Is that possible?

It is indeed, when what you have achieved is to create ten compositions that, simply put, sound pretty much like the same song being repeated over and over again. It is very sad, considering the top quality sound and amazing groove achieved by the guitar duet Erlend N.Saetern/Morten D.Carlsson and the powerful drum beats, courtesy of Mr. Per Christian Holm who sounds like he has destroyed at least three drum kits during the recording of this album.

Do not feel ashamed if you feel like you have been swept away by the sheer power of the opening rhythmical riff of “Sluk Det Ratt” as this, I am sure, will happen to most listeners. These same people will also find the up-tempo theme of “Sjelsvrengt” quite to their liking but it is at this stage that the first dark clouds begin to gather. Though energetic and catchy, songs like “Mageplask”, “Slagen”, “Neo-Cowboy” and “Karma A Brenne” sound like they are the end result of the same few ideas simply re-shuffled to produce the necessary numbers while “Makteslose” goes by fairly unnoticed.

Christofer Iversen’s scream/brutal vocals somehow manage to shine through in the heavy-as-hell groove of “Deltidsidiot” but the same cannot be said for either “Sudan” or its follow-up “Hjemkomst” which concludes the proceedings.

On the one hand I feel somewhat sorry not giving a high rating to a band that in its debut release has come up with such an interesting style and powerful sound, but the truth of the matter is that “Idiokrati” simply failed to fulfil its true potential.

Nevertheless, the signs so far are pretty encouraging and something tells me that it will not be too long before Man The Machetes reach a status similar to that held by the majority of their label mates. The next step is very crucial indeed – let us hope that it will be the right one!

John Stefanis

Rating: *** (3.0/5.0)

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)