James Hammontree’s Black Magnet sees its inaugural release with Hallucination Scene, an homage to Industrial Metal of yore.
I always think of (later) Ministry first when the subject of Industrial Metal comes up, but of course it is Nine Inch Nails that flies the flag highest in this genre. Static-X, too, and KMFDM (again, later). Rammstein? Um, sure, and tons of others. It was a nineties thing, wasn’t it, and there were some good things that came out of that decade so taking a trip back in that direction isn’t all bad.
Black Magnet is the solo creation of James Hammontree who both wrote and performed all of the vocals, guitars, synthesizers, drum programming, and samples. It was all Hammontree in the studio. For live performances, a full band will be deployed.
The opening notes of the album burble up like an increasingly aggrieved whale cresting behind you and coming over the top. Angry, vessel-popping lyrical shouts are backed up by volleys of noisy musical pelting. “Anubis” is next, and it is a little more subdued by comparison, but it has just as much attitude. “Punishment Map” has a nice feedback squeal going for it, and it is a constructional nod in the general direction of Rob Zombie. “Trustfucker” is the highlight of the set for me. The lyrics and vocal presentations are fantastic, and the clomping rhythm is perfect for a wide variety of stomping and headbanging activities. This song put me on the path. The closer is “Walking In The Dark,” and it is perhaps the most dissonant and clanging of the set making it an excellent farewell punch. I am very interested to see how these compositions are replicated live – I bet it’ll be a great show.
The album is out now from 20 Buck Spin. Lineup for the metallic resonance and give your ears a good, solid ring. Recommended.
Links.
Flying Fiddlesticks Music Blog 