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HOLD ME DOWN "Devour"
HOLD ME DOWN "Devour"
By Dr. Abner Mality
Sentient Ruin Records has the knack of finding the most extreme bands around, no matter what the genre. Here they turn their attention to harsh industrial metal and a band with the curious name of HOLD ME DOWN. That name almost makes them sound like an AOR band but they couldn't be further from that. This is industrial at its most grimy and brutal, overflowing with primitive rhythms, layer upon layer of electronic racket and almost black metal like shrieks. This is the kind of industrial that would make MARILYN MANSON run and join a convent.
The record starts with more metallic, riff-based tracks such as "M.A.I.D." and "Living Meat" and gradually deconstructs itself until it ends with the virtually unendurable cybernetic racket of "Death Hour". Filthy bass and mechanical beats are the driving force of all the tracks, but there's enough variation to keep this from being just a noise fest. "Coded Sky" is a kind of cosmic interlude that gradually becomes harsh, "Infinity" takes what is essentially a rock n' roll riff and coats it with so much grime, it becomes much more menacing. A favorite of mine is the pounding "Boiler Room", which has a juicy groove to start but when it hits the gas, it just about takes your head off.
The last few tracks see HOLD ME DOWN ditching ordinary metal/rock structures and going in different directions. "Shed" is a kind of lumbering, monotone beast, "The Connector" is so noisy it sounds like scrap metal being torn apart and longest song "At The Gates" has much more of a mopey Goth/post punk feel even down to the glum vocals. To be honest, none of the last four songs kept my attention as much as what preceded it. But I come at this from the metal angle...true industrial and post-punk fans might enjoy them more.
This is probably the most extreme industrial metal album you're gonna hear this year...a true successor to SKIN CHAMBER and GODFLESH, with a frosting of MINISTRY.
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