Artist: Engine
Label: Metal Blade Records
Release Date: 5/21/02
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Title: Superholic Artist: Engine Label: Metal Blade Records Release Date: 5/21/02 |
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Abyss's Review:
I'm not really sure what kind of music this is, actually. We all know the lead singer is from prog metal band Fates Warning, but this is an entirely different animal. Influences from Ray Alder's other band are evident throughout this disc, but it stops there. With the exception of passing similarities, Engine's Superholic (Wow! That's a dumb name. Is it a companion piece to Machine Head's Supercharger?) comes across as a looser, less pompous rock album, one that strives for effect through simplicity rather than effect through a sense of grand purpose. In short, this is an album you're supposed to bang your head to rather than one you're supposed to spend hours contemplating.
"The music's unpretentious and straightforward delivery shows a beating heart beneath all the skill." And in many ways this album is successful. Even though this style is far and away not my cup of blood, I have been enjoying the time I've been spending with it. The music's unpretentious and straightforward delivery shows a beating heart beneath all the skill. The songs have well crafted melodies that walk the fine line between listenability and mainstream quite well. The songs can be heavy at times, and (surprise!) these are the moments I like best, but even the lighter moments refrain from the syrupy pap that many prog/metal bands have been drifting toward in recent years.
Of course the one thing I can't really get by here is Ray Alder's vocals. I just don't like his voice. It's not that he's off key, or some other technical misstep, he just doesn't have a good voice. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Just because you can sing doesn't mean you should sing. I cite examples Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. Of course this is completely my opinion, as many fans of both bands comment on Mr. Alder's "God like" voice (Now, I know I'm not religious or anything, but I always thought God's voice would sound a lot less nasally, or maybe this is an obscure sect that worships the nose as a deity. This would also explain Barbara Streisand's propularity.).
"Of course the one thing I can't really get by here is Ray Alder's vocals. I just don't like his voice." Anyway, prog metal fans may find this thing too simplistic, but I bet most won't (they only seem to make fun of simple bands that they don't like). And, personal preferences aside, I have to recommend this album, even though I'm predicting I won't be listening to it that much myself. It is a good album, however, and it deserves some recognition. One word review: Great!
Death's Review:
Sometimes an album just gets under your skin, like Engine's new release, Superholic, has done to me. I love this fucking record and I'm not exactly sure why. It definitely has something to do with Ray Alder's voice, although I always somewhat resented his replacing John Arch in Fates Warning so many moons ago. Yet now I must pause; perhaps I should revist No Exit and Parallels sometime soon? I already know that they are good (great?) albums, but I've enjoyed Alder's performance on Superholic so much that I now may be ready to consider him among my favorite vocalists. Are No Exit and Parallels and the others that good? I can't wait to listen again from my new perspective.
While the vocals are dominant on Superholic, Engine is definitely much more than just Alder's singing. Although the name of the act, album title and CD artwork all initially gave me pause, and I had avoided them in the past based upon Engine having been described as Alder's "hard rock" project with Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning) and Bernie Versailles (Agent Steel) in the press, none of that matters now that I have spent time with the music. The songwriting is outstanding here, and the emotion and passion of the musicians' execution shines through with every listen. I haven't really listened to the pre-Superholic Engine, but something tells me it is of similar sound yet somehow doesn't rise to the level of this latest effort in terms of the "intangibles," that indescribable "addictive" factor that all great albums have once they get under your skin.
"I love this fucking record and I'm not exactly sure why. It definitely has something to do with Ray Alder's voice." Now I'll admit that calling Superholic a great album may be pushing the bounds of overstatement. Sure, the songs have an almost nu-metal flavor at points. A simple way to describe the sound is Machine Head meets King's X meets Fates Warning (with Zakk Wylde playing guitar). Engine possess Machine Head's sense of riffing, guitar sounds (downtuned heavy riffs, rhythmic feedback, harmonics and guitar noise used melodically) and groove, King's X's sense of rythym and flow, Fates Warning's vocal presence and somber mood and Zakk Wylde's love of artificial harmonics. An even simpler way to describe Engine might be think Machine Head with a power metal vocalist...
But that paints with too broad of a stroke, because the Engine palette features not just a quantity of color but also a deceptive amount of depth. Straightforward, commercial tracks reveal themselves as somber lyrical statements upon repeated listens. Favorite tracks of mine include opener "Losing Ground," which makes me want to thrash everyone and everything in my wake, the title track, "Superholic," and the surprisingly effective cover of The Cure's "Fascination Street" (I'm not kidding, this is a cool song and I'm no Cure fan but Alder pulls it off). Of course, the record is more than simply helped along by the outstanding production efforts of Joey Vera, not to mention his absolutely wonderful bass playing, which really stands out in the mix and shows its leadership role within the outfit. Vera may not be the most technical of players, but he certainly is one of the best the genre has to offer.
"Of course, the question you are left with after spending time with Engine remains exactly what genre it is that we place them in." Of course, the question you are left with after spending time with Engine remains exactly what genre it is that we place them in. "Hard rock" is a bit unfair - this is definitely a metal band, although one that does focus on catchy songwriting. They remind me of a much darker Queensryche from the Empire time period, to give some reference point on the "heaviness" scale. I'm totally into it. Will you be? Only if you like emotional lyrics and this brand of metal. This is like Fates Warning's answer to Life of Agony - all groove, emotion and strong lyrical content yet a total longing to find a modern element and that ever-elusive "hook" that many metal bands discard or never pursue in the first place. Sure, they're not exactly breaking new ground (save for the combo of Alder's voice over this type of guitar sound and groove riffing), but from time to time they find that "hook" and it moves you, just like all good music should. Believe me, this one stands out from the pack.
Hel's Review:
Favorite track: "Mine."
I've been torturing myself trying to figure out why I like this album, considering how almost-not-metal it is at multiple points in time. My decision is that my enjoyment is a result of the interesting and incredibly catchy rhythms that permeate every aspect of this release. From the literal rhythm created by the drum and bass, to the cadence of the vocal delivery, there's a lot of things in this album that catch hold and make you want to boogie and bang your head at the same time.
"Sure, I'm influenced by Adler's voice. I like it no matter what he's singing to." Sure, I'm influenced by Adler's voice. I like it no matter what he's singing to. And the rest of the super-group caliber personnel could be influential as well. It could even be because this is so unlike anything else I have heard in a really long time. But I think the real root of the matter lies in the fact that it is a brilliantly written and amazingly executed record. There are no duds on this album - even the cover of The Cure's "Fascination Street" is extremely good.
This album had a lot of things stacked against it before it even made it as far as my player. The band name is dumb (I didn't even know this project existed, let alone that they had a previous album!), the album title is beyond dumb, the press release calls it "Hard Rock" - capitalizing the first letters to make it even lamer, apparently. If it hadn't been comprised of people who usually play music I like, I would never have even bothered with this all-star side project. I'm glad I did.
"This is a metal album, but its metal-ness is insidious, not blatant. All the better to sneak into unsuspecting non-metal homes and turn people's children into metalheads under the cover of darkness. Mwahahahahahahaaaaa!" This is a metal album, but its metal-ness is insidious, not blatant. All the better to sneak into unsuspecting non-metal homes and turn people's children into metalheads under the cover of darkness. Mwahahahahahahaaaaa! You simply must try it - listen to it a couple of times at least, give it a chance to infiltrate your brain.
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