Guilty As Sin
Psychotronic ()
Wydane przez G.A.S. ProductionsRok wydania Kraj USANapisał Wouter4
This trio from Watertown, Massachusetts has been around since 2008 and with “Psychotronic” is on to its third full lenght recording. The band mix influences from thrash metal, powerviolence with elements of stoner – and punk rock. As a metal act Guilty As Sin are far from impressive. What they do, they do adequately but nothing truly stands out in any exceptional way. In metal terms, their sound isn’t brutal enough and as a heavy rock band the hooks (if any) are workmanlike and not quite as memorable as the genre calls for. The usage of tribal percussion, acoustic guitars and sultry trumpets, trombones and finger-cymbals do make them stand out from many of their peers. It is therefore sad that these individual elements are presented in an otherwise rather unconvincing, bland and obligatory sounding package. Perhaps Guilty As Sin would be better off shedding their metal elements all together and going for a full-on heavy rock direction, as it is obvious they are far more potent to that end. In terms of rock comparisons there’s hints of Kyuss, Foo Fighters and Queens Of the Stone Age but neither of these inspirations are fleshed out far enough to warrant a vis-a-vis comparison. Guilty As Sin would be better off dropping all pretense of being a metal band and embrace the one thing that is working in their favor. As a metal unit Guilty As Sin is nothing short of headache inducingly awful, further hindering progress is the bargain basement production that is loud, but misses any sort of range, depth and clarity. This record is all over the map and while it displays a band with a broad musical palette and open mind to anything that sounds good. It also is detrimental to the record as nowhere does the band seem focused enough to work whatever element to it logical conclusion. In all “Psychotronic”, at least in theory, sounds like an interesting idea. The execution of the idea leaves a lot to be desired. Generally, this feels like a band that is in two minds over its intended purpose and musical objective. It cannot decide whether to be a violent thrash metal act or a decadent rock band (arguably a pipedream, as this is even harder to accomplish than making a career in extreme metal) in the tradition of Kyuss, Foo Fighters and Queens Of the Stone Age. Let us hope that on their next outing Guilty As Sin has decided which of these two proposed directions they wish to follow. Avoid.
