Mannequin - Promo 2008 (2008)

(Bahasa Indonesia)
Para metalhead mungkin lebih mengenal band yang satu ini sebagai Plasmoptysis. Jika kalian tidak tahu tentang Plasmoptysis, biar saya ceritakan sejarah singkatnya. Mereka pertama kali berdiri pada tahun 2006 dengan nama Arasy, lalu berganti nama menjadi Mannequin, sebelum akhirnya bermetamorfosa menjadi Plasmoptysis pada tahun 2008. Dibawah nama Mannequin, mereka hanya merilis satu album promo pada tahun yang sama. Ngomong-ngomong, namanya sekilas mengingatkan saya pada band brutal death metal legendaris, Brodequin. Kebetulan sekali, musik yang dimainkan Mannequin memiliki beberapa kemiripan dengan musik yang dimainkan Brodequin.

Kualitas produksinya kurang lebih sama dengan kualitas produksi lo-fi pada album "Instruments of Torture"-nya Brodequin. Saya sangat menyukainya. Sang drummer juga bermain dalam kecepatan tinggi, namun tidak melulu bermain dengan cepat, yang diiringi dengan hentakan-hentakan simbal yang cukup kuat, seakan-akan kepala kita dipukul berulang kali dengan gada paling keras hingga otak kita meledak keluar dari kepala, mirip dengan performa Chad Walls. Memang, snare-nya sedikit bermasalah, namun tidak masalah selama tidak terlalu mengganggu. Vokal growl-nya juga cukup berat dan tanpa ampun, walaupun saya harap bisa lebih baik lagi.

Permainan bass-nya lebih sering mengikuti permainan gitar, namun ada kalanya ia terdengar sendiri dan memberikan kesan yang lebih berat pada musik yang mereka mainkan. Terakhir adalah permainan gitarnya. Sang gitaris menyuguhkan kita perpaduan brutal death/grind ala Brodequin dan slamming brutal death metal yang cukup umum dimainkan band-band Indonesia.

Satu-satunya masalah yang saya miliki adalah klip-klip audio yang diambil dari film-film. Saya tak pernah menyukainya sejak pertama kali. Saya dapat memakluminya jika mereka hanya menaruhnya sebagai bagian dari intro dan/atau pada awal paling tidak satu lagu lain, namun mereka menaruh pada awal dan akhir lagu "Darah Tumbal". Mungkin ini hanya masalah saya saja, anda bisa saja tidak menghiraukan klip-klip audio tersebut.

Selain masalah klip audio, Mannequin menyuguhkan kita perpaduan apik antara brutal death/grind a la Brodequin dengan slamming brutal death metal yang cukup unik. Saya sarankan anda mendengarkannya secepat mungkin, walaupun ini hanya album promo saja.

(English)

Many metalheads may know this band more as Plasmoptysis. In case you don't know, they originally formed in 2006 under the name Arasy, then changed their name into Mannequin, and eventually became Plasmoptysis by 2008. When they were still called Mannequin, they only released a promo album at the same year. That name sorta remembers me of Brodequin, by the way, and I need to know if these guys indeed sound like Brodequin.

The production has that gritty, yet still audible quality, similar to Brodequin's "Instruments of Torture". God, do I love it very much. The drummer also plays ridiculously intense blast beats similar to those played by Chad Walls. As with Chad Walls himself, the drummer accompanies those blast beats with pulverizing cymbal crashes, as though a nail bat hits your head so hard that your brain explodes out from your head. Sure, the snare has that thudding sound which is common among Indonesian bands, but the performance makes up for it.

The guttural vocals are also as brutal and unrelenting as those of Jamie Bailey's, although I wish it was deeper. The bass mostly follows the guitars, but there are times where it shows up and makes the music heavier. Speaking about the guitars, the guitarist plays a shitload of brutal death/grind riffs which would make Mike Bailey proud. Unlike Mike Bailey, however, he plays the chugging riffs more often, making the guitar play feel a little bit more like slamming brutal death metal than brutal death/grind.

The only thing I didn't like was the audio clips. I never like them since forever. I have no problem if they put them as part of the intro or at the beginning of at least one song. But if you listen to the track "Darah Tumbal", you'll be disappointed by how short the actual music is, compared to the audio clips put at the beginning and the end of the track.

Apart from the audio clips, I really love this album. Even if it's just a promo album, it's one of a few outstanding promo albums I ever know. If you're a fan of Brodequin, then search this album via Google. I guarantee you, this one won't disappoint you.

Broken Rain - Here Comes the Pain (2015) (English Only)

Broken Rain is a hard 'n' heavy band hailing from Banská Bystrica, Slovakia. They formed in 2006 as a cover band, but later they started writing their own material, with their first demo released in 2009. Six years later, they released their debut album, called Here Comes the Pain.

The production stands great. It has that old-school vibe which remembers me of those old Indonesian heavy metal bands. It also has a lot of dynamic range, which means the snare drum sounds strong. All the instruments can be heard clearly. The bass is played by Vladislav Gális. Although he doesn't try to impress anyone with his performance, it helps the music sound even heavier than it should be.

Drummer Branislav Končír spends his time playing mid-paced rhythms, so not much can be said about it. Filip Prašovský and Imrich Šimig both play the guitars. They play steel-heavy riffs which harken back to the old days of heavy metal. As with countless other heavy metal bands, they also throw in two melancholic songs, "Wanna Love My Girl" and "Tonight". The keyboards, also played by Imrich Šimig, add to the old-school atmosphere. I got to say, I love their performance.

Last but not least is the the performance of the vocalist Martin Rybár. His performance is best described as the catchiest and most old-school sounding performance. They throw me back to the glorious days of the 1980's.

One thing that surprised me was the bonus track "Broken Rain", which also happens to be my favorite track. It doesn't sound like the rest of the songs. Instead, it sounds like something a 60's rock band would come up with. They just cut the bullshit away and go simple in this song. I like it.

Although this album is not groundbreaking, it is still impressive in an old-school way. If you are a fan of old-school heavy metal, go check these guys. You won't be disappointed at all.

http://bandzone.cz/brokenrain
http://broken-rain.webnode.sk/