Gadget The Funeral March

Gadget's 2003 Relapse debut slipped past most of the general metal community without much fanfare, but with the passing of Nasum frontman Mieszko Talarczyk in the tsunami of 2004, the band have stepped up proudly to pronounce their claim to the Swedish grind crown. Originally just a side project, the band are on their way to becoming an international sensation thanks to the strength of The Funeral March. Their approach is a straightforward, high-speed grindcore assault with a dedication to memorable hooks and the ability to create a cohesive listening experience. While grind may currently be all the rage, these guys have been around for a while and show no signs of slowing down. The disc's seventeen tracks flow together well, fitting together neatly while remaining discernible from one another. There may not seem like there's an awful lot to Gadget at first, but repeated listens reveal a band that utilizes the depth of their production more than most grind acts. Whether it's the seemingly slower guitar lines hiding beneath blastbeats in "God of Led"or the blistering solo and early Neurosis-esque ending of "Illusions of Peace," there's always a little something extra to be discovered amidst the fury. The arrangement of these tracks is also very clever, never allowing a comparably "lighter" moment to be followed by anything but the full force of drummer and guitarist William Blackmon's powerful songcraft. Tracks like "Everyday Ritual" or "Out of Pace" give Gadget a little space to stretch, slowing down to a stoner/sludge pace that works both on its own and as a device to keep the album from becoming repetetive. While the comparisons to Nasum or Rotten Sound are probably inevitable (and also probably the most fitting) Gadget possess an energy and style all their own. Unlike many other grind records, The Funeral March doesn't become grating and doesn't lose the listener's attention due to poor production or incoherent gutturals. As the disc progresses, I found myself being drawn into the record more each time, so much so that when it finally came to the final two tracks, I was consistently wowed by the seemingly odd direction they took. "The Anchor," much like the rest of the record, has a strong, instantly identifiable melody but takes it a step further, beginning and ending with a slightly more metalcore sound that Gadget really pulls off. "Tingens Forbanneise" is a dark, doomy dirge that fits perfectly as a closer, but I almost always found myself putting the disc on repeat for at least two listens. Bottom Line: Gadget's The Funeral March has already be turning heads and will undoubtedly turn a few more in the coming months. It's release may have been a bit under the radar for Relapse, but this is easily one of their best releases so far this year, as well as one of the best grind albums of 2006. It might not have the crossover potential of Mastodon, but these are the kind of records that have been Relapse's bread and butter for years and it's nice to see they haven't forgotten that.