It takes all of thirty seconds, a brief synth note tolling quietly in the distance, before the mechanistic, twisted guitars of ‘from Marionette with love’ burst out form the speakers. Part Fear Factory, part Rammstein, there is a vicious sense of discipline emanating from the music that is not dispelled by the gut-wrenchingly heavy vocals. Synths and solos do slightly sweeten the mix, the synths adding colour to a musical style that would otherwise be as dry as Godflesh, and the solos adding a melodic edge in the manner of Arch Enemy. It’s a compelling, mesmerising mix of brain-crushingly heavy riffs and blood-spewing vocals and it will undoubtedly please those looking for a fix of unrelenting death metal heaviness.
Of course Marionette aren’t all about crushing riffs and bizarrely the next track, ‘stand in line’ starts off with what sounds like a dance club hit in the background and utilises clean vocals as a contrast to the aforementioned gravel pit vocals found on the first track. It’s still as heavy as hell but the synths are rather too high in the mix with the result that the guitars are overpowered and left flailing in the background where they should be punching holes in the speakers. Nonetheless this is a concern that will not be unfamiliar to those who have followed acts such as In Flames and Soilwork and there is a greater attempt at diversity here than those two acts with the result that even if one or two songs grate, the overall album has plenty to offer if you dig oppressively heavy music played by a tight and proficient band. ‘Act of violence’ is short, brutal and memorable (indeed at two and a half minutes it breezes in, kicks a hole in your consciousness and is gone before you’ve thought too much about it – showing just how accurate the title is. Things take a turn for the introspective on ‘remember your name’ although even in full on melodic mode it’s still heavier than, say ‘ohne dich’, a song that it resembles quite strongly in its use of massive, wall of guitars and over the top synth orchestrations to create a melody that is both insistent and still heavier than a large bucket of cast iron spanners – it’s hugely enjoyable. ‘Revelation 6.8’ opens on a scratchy note that you just know is going to give way to a pummelling guitar line although the vicious, heavily picked riff is still heavier than expected and the furious blast of energy unleashed upon the verse stands at odds with the strangely relaxed synth track – the result is a jarring track that has an unusual atmosphere that is all its own and even as clean vocals appear on the chorus it still feels inventive and unforced.
Hitting the half way mark and ‘a new high’ appears in a swirl of atmospheric synth and blistering guitar playing. At almost six minutes it is one of the longer songs on the album and it oddly has a power metal feel in the lighter melody lines and high-speed guitar playing although the image is quickly dispelled when the tempo shifts and you’re left with a syncopated chugging riff underpinning the spartan verse. It’s one of the album’s several highlights and stands as a good introduction if you want to know of what the band are capable. ‘Something forgotten’ is very filmic with a hugely atmospheric keyboard opening that demonstrates a will to be different before heading in a direction of symphonic death metal via Dimmu Borgir, crossed with a chorus straight out of Yes. It sounds crazy and the effect is much in that vein, but yet Marionette have the courage and the technical expertise to pull it off and as a result it sounds exciting rather than confused and the adrenalin rush you’ll get when the riff kicks in is very real. ‘Smile or die trying’ is a slower, spacey piece that has much to offer with its slow-paced, stunningly heavy riffs and hideously memorable melody line and then ‘the last’ comes charging in with little respect for its more even-tempered forebear and a riff that could well be hewn out of concrete. A brief, melodic beast it soon draws to a close to be replaced by ‘Nar Du Ruttnar Bort’ a storming, heart-pumping absolute highlight of the album. If you want a track to get people to sit up and take notice this is it – like a shot of adrenalin straight to the heart, even given the quality of what else is on offer, you’re liable to find this particular gem hard to resist and good lord is it heavy! ‘Brand new day’ is a melodic belter – the sort of song you can imagine igniting the crowd in the live arena, and with streamlined riffs to match and then final track ‘lights out’ closes things on a more reflective note – melodic and overlaid with powerful percussion before the band tear out one last chainsaw-style riff and leave you sweaty and not a little exhilarated by the ride you’ve just been taken on.
Overall Marionette do well by daring to be different. There are a couple of occasions where the synth parts do overpower the guitars rather more than I’d like but then they are such an integral part of the music that you can’t argue with the reasoning that they deserve to take centre stage from time to time. The riffs are largely monumental in size and scope and where Marionette score points is that no matter how melodic, catchy or interesting they might make their songs, they maintain the essential core heaviness that metal fans need like fish need water. Make no mistake, there is no light weight material here – this is punishing stuff and not for the faint of heart. A worthy, often very exciting release then, ‘Nerve’ is well worth your time.
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