NOXIOUS
"Timbre" (Self-produced; 2009)
Reviewed by Metal Mark
Noxious hail from South Carolina and formed back in 2004. From looking at the cover art, I was expecting prog-metal or prog-rock of some sort. There are a few touches of progressive sprinkled throughout. However, this album took me back to about 1993 or '94. The grunge influence is heavy on the entire disc. The obvious sources are and Alice in Chains and Soundgarden.
But this isn't the thick, heavy side of grunge. Instead, it is the gentler side with slow passages, subtle build-ups and vocals that gradually grow in intensity. There are some light touches of Zeppelin and, say, late 70s Rush here as well.
Noxious manage to keep a firm grip on everything that is going on. They never give away too much too soon as they have a fair knack for sustaining some energy throughout the entire song. The biggest drawback for me was simply that the majority of the songs sounded very similar. The pace was largely the same, the guitar sound was repeated many times over and before the album was done I was just hoping they would do something different. Anything different would have helped the severe lack of variety that sets in about half-way into the disc.
If you like this style of music, then the lack of
variety may not bother you, but I found my enthusiasm sinking towards the end of
"Timbre."
For more informaiton, check out
http://www.myspace.com/noxioussc.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2009 by R. Scott Bolton. All
rights reserved.
Revised:
15 Apr 2024 16:12:40 -0400
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