Band:	Mechina
Album:	Progenitor
Style:	Industrial symphonic metal
Release date:	January 02, 2016
Guest review by:	musclassia

01. Mass Locked
02. Ashes Of Old Earth
03. Starscape
04. Cryoshock
05. The Horizon Effect
06. Anagenesis
07. Planetfall
08. Progenitor

Mechina continue their streak of welcoming the New Year with a new full-length album; following Empyrean, Xenon, and Acheron, 2016 now brings us Progenitor. Mechina's prolific output has been previously raised as a potential cause for concern; given the relative invariance in the band's sound, could such consistent music production result in the threat of staleness developing?

Thus far, Mechina has held off this problem with subtle developments to their sound with each release, with the gradual incorporation and refinement of elements such as female vocals, robotic male vocals, different electronic sounds, and a generally improved production, all added to the core sound of industrial-tinged low staccato riffing meshed with dramatic symphonics. However, by this point, it seems there isn't too much left to add, as, bar one or two individual features on certain songs, Progenitor mostly involves remixing these established elements into new songs. With this come both positives and pitfalls.

The primary strength Mechina have is the simple fact that their sound is very effective and satisfying; the deep, almost djent-y riff sound mixed with soaring string sounds blend together very well and give an instant sense of gratification. Furthermore, they are capable of writing some really fine songs - particularly those involving female vocals. Following on from "On The Wings Of Nefeli" from Acheron, the standout track from Progenitor is "Cryoshock", a slow-burning corker with powerful riffs, captivating vocals, great patient build-up and shifting between sections of the song, and a rare case of the synths/electronics moving into the background. The other song that really stands out is the title track, a delightful closer with a real uplifting film soundtrack feel, particularly due to the well-utilised children's tribal-style chanting, in addition to hooky male cleans, tasteful symphonic accompaniment and well-utilised guitar tremolo.

However, whilst many people enjoy the general sound of the band, there have been long-standing criticisms that the 'conventional' Mechina songs are prone to blending together, and this remains an issue here. As far as Progenitor goes, songs like "Starscape" and "Anagenesis" deliver the usual combination of prominent, moving synths overlaying guitar riffs, which fade into the background and ultimately struggle to distinguish themselves from what has come before from the band. One way to counteract that is to give the metal side more prominence, as is accomplished so well on "Cryoshock"; however, on another song, "Planetfall", the riffs dominate the sound, but are ultimately unmemorable, with the song mainly saved by a ripping guitar solo towards the end. Finally, in a previous review I criticised Acheron for hindering itself with an uneven and front-stacked track listing; in this regard, Progenitor is a more consistent listen. However, with the decision to stick the two songs with female-only vocals back-to-back in the middle of the album, the flow is somewhat hampered, particularly as "The Horizon Effect" is weaker than "Cryoshock" and the subsequent track "Anagenesis" isn't the greatest song Mechina have written. As a result, some of the momentum built up over the first half of the album dissipates and is only recovered in the last couple of songs.

Ultimately, Mechina are a proficient band with an effective sound and a real capacity to craft quality songs, as previous efforts such as "Zoticus" and "On The Wings Of Nefeli", and now "Cryoshock" and "Progenitor", prove. At the same time, after two promising albums in Empyrean and Xenon, it now seems to be somewhat a case of 'one step forward, one step back' with their following efforts. Still, after 4 releases in 4 years, they are yet to completely drain the magic from their sound, and perhaps New Year's Day 2017 will be when they pull it all together and deliver something really great.