GADGET

A funeral march? More like a poor group of mourners being made to do the Devil's war dance as the members of Sweden's GADGET fire automatic weapons at their feet. "The Funeral March" is a mostly solid piece of Swedish-style grindcore that (surprise, surprise) owes a debt to masters NASUM, even though songs like the manic (well, I suppose that describes the majority of the tunes, doesn't it?) "Requiem" wear just as much of a NAPALM DEATH influence on its sleeve, albeit with a much slicker production. Though professionally done, the mix could stand a bit more dirt. Much like the best black metal and doom, grindcore needs a little motor oil and crusties covering it to bring out its true value. Furthermore, the mix does not allow the dynamic moments in Rikard Olsson's riffs to shine; that and a weak bass sound tend to muffle these otherwise explosive compositions.

Arrangement-wise, grindcore connoisseurs will find that there are enough in the way of brief sojourns into differing tempos, spiced with the odd gear-shift, to give these mostly frantic speedsters a longer-lasting quality. And I'm not just talking about tracks like the plodding instrumental "Everyday Ritual" (which by the way is kind of cool and somehow fits within the album's framework) or the album closing slow-crush of "Tingens Forbanneise". You can even pinpoint a relatively memorable chorus on "Feed on Lies", thanks to a slight calming and a bit of enunciation. On the other hand, I'm not certain that the album as a whole will leave you awake at night grinding your rotted teeth down to nubs.

Final analysis? "The Funeral March" is an above-average grindcore release, but not a phenomenal one. It is not quite "progressive" (I know, it's questionable to even use this term in the genre, but…) enough to be a modern masterpiece nor primal enough to satisfy old school cravings and Neanderthal blasters. This sort of in-between result is still likeably bruising, but seems to be missing that certain something.