Eddie Katz is the man behind Mechanical Organic and they have been introduced to this site with the first album, namely "Disrepair Part One - Permafrost Dreams", which was an interesting release. Going back to the "Disrepair Part One" review, one can find one crucial remark, namely that it was acknowledged it was a very interesting initiative that cried out for a proper scheme to be further enhanced. It seems that this suggestion was also a thought in the mind of Eddie Katz, who recruited some skilful musicians to complete the new line-up of Mechanical Organic. These new musicians, Evan Harris and Connie D., have indeed contributed to the total transformation of the band. Especially, Connie D. does a splendid work with his guitar leading the chariot of Mechanical Organic to a new approach of their music. As Eddie Katz mentions in one of the album updates "…it’s heavy and melodic and it fits the Mech Org sound like a glove". His performance allows a gentle replication of the main theme of this one song EP without leading to boredom or decrease of interest. Well I still would prefer the rhythm guitars a bit more heavy, but the truth is that allows for some space for other instruments, like keyboards, to develop. Therefore almost everything works in benefit of Mechanical Organic’s sound. Evan Harris from power metalers Black Majesty and Eyefear has undertaken the bass, giving a chunk exhibition of his skills. The drum machine is still here, but, like in the first release, it is not irritating or annoying at all. Of course a human replacement would add a new dimension to the sound and give a new perspective and more depth, but even in this is satisfactory and well programmed.
"Disrepair Part Two - The Pleasure Fled" features only one new track in two editions, one "regular" and one edited for radio airplay. This new track, "Into the Fangs of Lunacy", is clocking to seventeen minutes, is way closer to metal, than the whole previous album. Yes this time the music is closer to Vauxdvihl without of course being cast in the same shape. One might find also some resemblance to Saviour Machine, but the truth is that the sound of Mechanical Organic continues, even in this new form, to stand to the upper levels of uniqueness. Like in the case of the first version of "Disrepair", the lyrical theme is about world order and the media management (consequently leading to a global sense of truth). It has a conspiratorial scent as well, which might obstruct some, but the underlying concept is helping the overall development of the song. When the track starts tiring, then following the narration, which by the way it is very good structured, helps the listener to keep attention. It is interesting how Katz has arranged his vocal lines according to the theme. For instance the opening rhyme "Our leaders lead us on" is actually chanted by a group of people, the mass, while the ending one, "I choose not to believe" signals the responsibility of the individual, as it is sang by a low and lonely voice. This is the only remark about the manifoldness of this EP. It needs a lot of attention to find out the many elements that Katz has included, either in explicit, or in implicit format.
There is a drastic evolution between the one "Disrepair" and the other. Of course this is only one track and there are other tests to be checked in the following releases. A more extensive work will show us the real potential of the new scheme; however this new start for Mechanical Organic is very encouraging. |
