The album that will make cross-dressing cool again…
Looking at the band's image and reading about the concept of this album, I was deceived into believing that this band would share similarities with bands such as Wednesday 13 and Turbonegro, where the concept and the imagery in the songs far outweigh the focus and the quality. But Mechanical Black, a three piece band from Sydney (comprising vocalist/guitarist Hex, vocalist/guitarist Loki and vocalist/bassist Mel) have taken transvestite imagery and written their debut album about the journey that is experienced as someone undergoes a gender change from male to female. The surprising thing is that the music outweighs the concept in this case, due to its unique sound and creative, progressive qualities.
The music flawlessly progresses between melodic and aggressive guitar dominated riffs, and the vocals can be as harsh as Dani Filth's or as warming as Burton C. Bell's. Despite the fact that the music can be quite aggressive at times, the overlying sound is in line with a lot of other gothic bands, and this album is aimed at fans of bands such as Dream Theater and Perth's Voyager.
Every song on the album brings something new to the table. The opening track Incinerate has a fast tempo and a technical spazz sound, Reborn introduces the listener to the amazing guitar technicality and melodic overtones of the band and Sweetness and Light has a catchy, groovy sound full of hooks whilst introducing elements such as a trumpet. There are ballads such as In My Head, which sounds almost sorrowful with its steady beat and lyrics of self acceptance. There is little point in trying to put a label on all of these songs, as many of them transcend the boundaries of genres.
The album is littered with short tracks, interludes and instrumentals, but this hardly detracts from the quality of the album as the songs that are on offer are of a quality that is rarely heard today.
Mechanical Black have an ability that is seldom seen in the metal world. They are able to take elements that are rarely accepted in purist metal and meld them with elements such as technical, screaming guitar and the occasional harsh vocals. Perhaps it is ironic that this album is about self-acceptance, as it almost seems like an outcast in the metal world itself, yet it is one that is beautiful nonetheless. 'Reborn' may not be for the bulk of metal fans who would rather stick to their thrashier, heavier type of metal, but fans of progressive and gothic metal will find that this album will be able to offer them something that no other band can
April 14th 2010
Steven Inglis
