The Automata Through The Bandage Seeps A Whisper

Metal has always played a part in the shaping of hardcore's sound.Any kid who claims he grew up strictly on Gorilla Biscuits and Judge without ever rocking a little Slayer or Metallica is full of shit.You can hear it anywhere from Integrity to Unbroken to Day of Suffering to Abnegation. Metal-core on the other hand is a completely new genre in itself that for me started with bands like Undying, Prayer for Cleansing, Heaven Shall Burn and Arkangel.A few years ago a handful of releases by these and other bands solidified a unique sound and laid the blueprint for hundreds of bands to copy over and over. I was floored the first time I popped in Undying and every time I've heard it since it still gets to me.But now this type of music is going nowhere. Very few bands have what it takes to step up to the plate and show me something new and exciting. And The Automata, unfortunately, is not one of those bands. The five-piece band formed in the Summer of 2001 and has been working hard to establish themselves in the scene since.After releasing a four-song demo in November of 2001, the band was signed to Life Sentence Records and entered the studio in the spring of 2002 to record their debut 6-song EP, "Through the Bandage Seeps a Whisper."The Automata strives to spread a positive lyrical message while maintaining a strong musical backdrop. At first listen, all of the common elements are accounted for; the harmonized guitars that switch from lightning speeds to brutal breakdowns, the screamed intense vocals that set the stage for emotional sing-alongs... it's all there.But that's all there is.As a band they really should have sat down and said to themselves "okay dudes, we play a pretty popular style of music, so what can we bring to the table that other bands cannot"Because unless you're a diehard fan (and I mean diehard) there is no reason to listen to this record when better bands playing the exact same music exist. In addition there are a number of flaws in the recording and the sound of the band itself that could send the average listener with a picky ear towards a better sounding record.The vocals are stagnant, never varying from a high-pitched scream or a standard vocal pattern, and the transitions could have been put together more thoughtfully to add to the overall fluidity of certain songs. I'm not trying to completely shit on this record, in fact I think it's a very good start for a band that's out there doing it.Even though "Through the Bandage..." isn't a metal masterpiece, it's still a decent metal-core offering that fans of the genre will appreciate.I'm sure this band absolutely murders live. Moments like the crushing mosh at the end of "Perception Breeds Deception," and the catchy riffage in "The Logic of Man," give me visions of smiling faces and pit chaos.In the long run, the band should just really ask themselves why someone would listen to this CD when they could listen to Endthisday, or Caliban or even old Facedown. Bottom Line:This is a solid metal-core recording, and fans of the genre will probably eat it right up.It delivers all the necessary elements, but that's it.If you're looking to be knocked off your feet, look elsewhere.This is a tight band with definite potential, but they fail to push the envelope and step anywhere near new ground.