Artist: Circle of Dead Children
Label: Necropolis Records
Release Date: 4/17/01
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Title: The Genocide Machine Artist: Circle of Dead Children Label: Necropolis Records Release Date: 4/17/01 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
I want to start this review off by saying that this is the finest grind album that I’ve heard this year. With that in mind, I don’t think I can recommend this album for most of you out there. This album is for only serious fans of grind, not for those who like accessible grind, softened by crossover appeal. Circle of Dead Children are not for everyone. While many find more accessible grind acts easy to listen to because of their addition of groove and hardcore mentality, Children make no such concessions.
"I want to start this review off by saying that this is the finest grind album that I’ve heard this year. With that in mind, I don’t think I can recommend this album for most of you out there." While it’s true that all these elements are present in their music, it is not nearly as obvious or exploited as in other bands. There is the Death/Hardcore appeal, mixed with start/stop rhythms and chaotic playing, but with this band it seems more obscure, their songs being much less evident in their catch. In essence their song structures (or should I say lack of?) remind me more of Exit 13 and early Brutal Truth than Nasum or Cephalic Carnage. They utilize groove just as effectively, but not nearly as often. This makes the first couple of listens a little disjointed, as most good grind is, but once the listener gains an amount of familiarity with the songs, one has the opportunity to study them more closely, and truly enjoy all of the little nuances.
Of course, like all good grind, the songs are too short to listen to individually, but that’s okay because you never know when they begin or end anyway. The vocals run the gamut from spoken word, to shrieking scream, to every sort of growl, and the riffs add just enough drive to the blisteringly erratic rhythm section. The thick sound is made even more impressive by the intricacies of the music, and every instrument is mixed at the right level. This album isn’t for everyone, but it sure as fuck is for me. If you consider yourself a connoisseur of fine grind, this albums for you too.
Death's Review:
Circle of Dead Children play spastic yet crushingly brutal, chaotic grind. At times they sound truly next-level like Cephalic Carnage; and with few groovier or slightly melodic exceptions, it's always pretty fucking fast. Yes, Circle of Dead Children blend a healthy straight death metal influence into the mix, but the occasional "Cannibal Corpse fast part" is about as groovy as this record gets. It takes multiple listens to even get your ears around The Genocide Machine: you have to really want it.
"I'm down, but I'm not obsessed with it and I'm not sure that I'll be coming back to it a whole bunch. It's over my head." I recently noticed an extensive Metalmaniacs.com message board thread discussing another review site's extremely negative Circle of Dead Children review, and this caused me to think about that fact that no mainstream or even non-grind loving reviewer is ever going to be able to write a positive review about Circle of Dead Children - as they sound today, on The Genocide Machine - and do so in a way that the casual rock listener will in any way understand. It is simply an impossible task. That is, impossible without the strong desire to sit through some close listens to some extraordinarily abrasive sounds. Circle of Dead Children is truly sophisticated shit, but it is sophisticated on the most extreme of planes, and it is not going to win over the fans that Dillinger Escape Plan and Nasum could not.
They take themselves seriously though. The Genocide Machine, while not exactly a full-on grind concept record, does come complete with a big-picture conceptual vision. And the band's press materials take pains to point out that the moniker is not a gore reference but rather is intended to describe some political image of a circle of flags from different nations with the bodies of one of that country's dead children on each. So if you are grind-inclined, trust me, there's a lot going on here. Truthfully, it's a bit hectic for me sometimes. I'm down, but I'm not obsessed with it and I'm not sure that I'll be coming back to it a whole bunch. It's over my head.
Hel's Review:
Favorite tracks: "When We Make the Clouds Scream" & "It's a Bloody Day When You Get Your Head Nailed to a Cross"If you've ever had to write two reviews every week for over a year and a half straight, you understand how easily otherwise wonderful music can sound dull and boring, because you are dull and burnt. Every once in a while, an album will surprise you, and cut through the haze entirely. Circle of Dead Children woke my ass up.
This band exists at that beautiful juncture where death metal and grindcore meet. Out of 17 tracks, only five exceed two minutes in length. But in reality, the songs all blend together in a wonderful way, and unless you are very attentive, you'll usually miss the transitions between songs.
"Circle of Dead Children woke my ass up." Let me make one thing clear, The Genocide Machine will not be enjoyed by everyone. You have to like unintelligible screaming vocals, since there just isn't any other kind. You have to like blisteringly fast bursts of metal mayhem. You have to enjoy crushingly heavy riffs, vocals, and maniacal drumming. Sound good to you? Me too.
I found that this album is best enjoyed when you can fully concentrate and try to find the underlying logic. Granted, I don't think the same way most people do, so maybe it only makes sense to me, but I can guarantee that if you are inclined to throw yourself into it, you will discover this album is worth the time.
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