Death Engine - Mud review

Reviewer:
8.3

10 users:
7.2

Band:	Death Engine
Album:	Mud
Style:	Noise, Hardcore, Post-metal
Release date:	March 02, 2015
A review by:	Ilham

01. Medusa
02. Organs
03. Cure
04. Zero
05. Still
06. Entertain
07. Negative

Words continue to elude me as I keep getting lost in this album rather than concentrating on writing about it.

The whirlwind of anguish that is Mud is a difficult one to get out of. I've been sitting in this spiral of blackened noisecore and "metallised" post-punk for a week now. Death Engine's influences are hard to pinpoint because they are many. Nick Cave meets Plebeian Grandstand would say more than any genre tag I used earlier.

Mud isn't for the unlucky people suffering from seasonal affective disorder, for even as short as it is, it oozes that very particular feeling of urban despair. The guitars reproduce that constant grinding noise of car engines and construction machinery, punctuated by strident notes that break the constant noisy riffing - like the sirens of ambulances trapped in traffic jams would. The tortured screams try to get heard in the middle of the deafening guitars and hypnotic drums with as much difficulty as an agonising stray cat that every passer-by pretends not to hear. All of which, repeated, amplified each time, and building up to attain an unbearable level of saturation, both in sound as in emotion.

Powerful, gut-wrenching, depressing and violent, the French chose the perfect name for their band, and delivered exactly the album I didn't need to get addicted to, imprisoned as I am in the sea of concrete and misery of Casablanca. On top of that, it is streaming here and available to download in its entirety for free here.

Rating breakdown

Performance:	9
Songwriting:	8
Originality:	7
Production:	9

Written by Ilham | 08.02.2015

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RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff Posts: 9030	Permalink 08.02.2015 - 11:04 Rating: 8 RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff Posts: 9030 I've been waiting for this ---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all? Loading...
Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161	Permalink 08.02.2015 - 16:48 Rating: 9 Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161 Written by RaduP on 08.02.2015 at 11:04 I've been waiting for this Same here, every morning I checked the band's and Throatruiner's page/FB. You shouldn't be disappointed . Loading...
RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff Posts: 9030	Permalink 08.02.2015 - 18:46 Rating: 8 RaduP CertifiedHipster Staff Posts: 9030 Written by Ilham on 08.02.2015 at 16:48 Written by RaduP on 08.02.2015 at 11:04 I've been waiting for this Same here, every morning I checked the band's and Throatruiner's page/FB. You shouldn't be disappointed . I wasn't. The album was amazing, but I still prefer Cowards :p ---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all? Loading...
tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5266	Permalink 09.02.2015 - 11:08 tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5266 You said the words "Plebeian" and "Grandstand". So I will say the words..."Count" "Me'' "In". - Thanks for the review. ---- rekt Loading...
X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374	Permalink 09.02.2015 - 12:21 X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374 She got me with "urban despair". That always gets me. ---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Like you could kiss my ass Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49 Rod, let me love you. Loading...
DahliaRock Posts: 153	Permalink 09.02.2015 - 16:08 DahliaRock Posts: 153 Ooh I almost missed the link because of the March release date, thanks for that! Your review gave me an expectation on par with Portal's Vexovoid.. I guess it was the way you described the guitars. Let's see how it turns out! Anything else on that download list in the link worth a listen? Loading...
Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161	Permalink 09.02.2015 - 17:28 Rating: 9 Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161 Written by DahliaRock on 09.02.2015 at 16:08 Ooh I almost missed the link because of the March release date, thanks for that! Your review gave me an expectation on par with Portal's Vexovoid.. I guess it was the way you described the guitars. Let's see how it turns out! Anything else on that download list in the link worth a listen? I'm sorry if I gave you wrong expectations, but there's nothing in common with Portal sound-wise. But it does have that same feeling of... urgency. I am a Throatruiner fangirl, but I'll try to limit my recommendations based on the eventuality that you might like this album: you should start with Cowards - Rise To Infamy, and then Plebeian Grandstand - Lowgazers. Cowards play blackened sludgecore, and here's my review for it: http://www.metalstorm.net/pub/review.php?review_id=13150. And think of Plebeian Grandstand as Deathspell Omega led by a schyzophrenic man having a mental breakdown. I have no I idea if that's up your alley though. Throatruinner have only very few straightforward bands, each band plays a different kind of metallic -core, usually with several genres mixed together, always very depressing. Keep me in the loop, if you need something else, I know all the bands in that list. Loading...
tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5266	Permalink 09.02.2015 - 17:38 tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5266 Written by Ilham on 09.02.2015 at 17:28 led by a schyzophrenic man having a mental breakdown. You young lady just won the internet today! I laughed my fucking ass off!! !!!! ---- rekt Loading...
Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161	Permalink 09.02.2015 - 17:42 Rating: 9 Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161 Written by tea[m]ster on 09.02.2015 at 17:38 You young lady just won the internet today! I laughed my fucking ass off!! !!!! Haha, always happy to oblige Jay. And yeah, even if Death Engine isn't as much rooted in dissonant black metal madness, I find a similar claustrophobia-inducing feeling in this one. I would be surprised if you hated it, you'll at least not mind the ride, I'm sure. Plus there are faint touches of post-metal . Loading...
tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5266	Permalink 09.02.2015 - 17:52 tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Contributor Posts: 5266 Written by Ilham on 09.02.2015 at 17:42 Haha, always happy to oblige Jay. I will give this one a shot, stay tuned... ---- rekt Loading...
DahliaRock Posts: 153	Permalink 11.02.2015 - 11:26 DahliaRock Posts: 153 Written by Ilham on 09.02.2015 at 17:28 I'm sorry if I gave you wrong expectations, but there's nothing in common with Portal sound-wise. But it does have that same feeling of... urgency. Heheh, no worries, it turned out much better than what I was expecting. I love it when the bands can create chaos but manage to keep it under their own will. It reminded me of Baring Teeth with a bit more chaos introduced.. So far loving it, gonna give the others a listen too. It feels so good when someone can recommend bands to me every now and then instead of me trying to hunt down produces of madness like these. Get ready to be nudged every now and then for new sound bite recommendations Loading...
Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161	Permalink 11.02.2015 - 11:52 Rating: 9 Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161 Written by DahliaRock on 11.02.2015 at 11:26 Heheh, no worries, it turned out much better than what I was expecting. I love it when the bands can create chaos but manage to keep it under their own will. It reminded me of Baring Teeth with a bit more chaos introduced.. So far loving it, gonna give the others a listen too. It feels so good when someone can recommend bands to me every now and then instead of me trying to hunt down produces of madness like these. Get ready to be nudged every now and then for new sound bite recommendations I'm having breakfast and coffee right now, and this is the best kind of comments to start the day with . Apparently going by the bands you cite, and what you say, you like your music to be chaotic and dissonant. Then indeed I confirm that you have to check out Plebeian Grandstand and Cowards (much less dissonant, but crazy enough) as soon as possible. I would love to have someone to annoy with my recommendations from time to time, never hesitate to ask . Loading...
Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161	Permalink 12.02.2015 - 00:44 Rating: 9 Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161 Written by deadone on 12.02.2015 at 00:34 Damn you review some interesting stuff even if this sounds a millilon miles away from my tastes. Loved the review - short, sweet and to the point. Aw thanks, really appreciated. Honestly, it was one of the hardest I've had to write since the days I wrote for a French webzine six years ago. Yeah I don't think DE is for you. But you wrote a cool review for a great hardcore record: nothing is lost, maybe the newt DE album will be the one you listen to . Loading...
mz Posts: 4825	Permalink 12.02.2015 - 03:22 mz Posts: 4825 I'm not checking this because I'm to much of a loser and this can potentially destroy my non existing happiness . ---- Giving my ears a rest from music. Loading...
mz Posts: 4825	Permalink 12.02.2015 - 03:24 mz Posts: 4825 Holly shit this is indeed very good ---- Giving my ears a rest from music. Loading...
Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161	Permalink 12.02.2015 - 13:11 Rating: 9 Ilham Giant robot Posts: 5161 Written by mz on 12.02.2015 at 03:22 I'm not checking this because I'm to much of a loser and this can potentially destroy my non existing happiness . And two minutes later: Written by mz on 12.02.2015 at 03:24 Holly shit this is indeed very good I laughed my ass off when I saw the succession of posts. Yeah I knew you'd like it. Thanks for breaking your "no new music" vow for it . Loading...
mz Posts: 4825	Permalink 12.02.2015 - 14:44 mz Posts: 4825 Written by Ilham on 12.02.2015 at 13:11 post & meme haha yesterday I had a little time to check some music after intense exam study period (which will start from tomorrow again :'( ) and I didn;t have anything better to check :p ---- Giving my ears a rest from music. Loading...
DahliaRock Posts: 153	Permalink 12.02.2015 - 15:50 DahliaRock Posts: 153 Written by Ilham on 11.02.2015 at 11:52 I would love to have someone to annoy with my recommendations from time to time, never hesitate to ask . Loading...