Formed in New York in 1999, the quintet GIZMACHI have, over the years, honed their sound in friend's houses and various basement shows. Listening to their debut album, “The Imbuing”, it seems a pity they didn't stay there.
That they didn't, it seems, is down to a certain M. Shawn Crahan who is better known to you and me as the 'Clown', or '# 6', from shock metal merchants Slipknot; which gives us an early indication where Gizmachi are coming from.
On his first stab at production for his own label, Big Orange Clown Records, Crahan says of the band: “The brutality and vision of this band encourages me because it's not designed around anger or hate like a lot of other bands. It's unique in today's world of metal.” While their vision might well be unique, it's safe to say their music certainly isn't. Not by a long, long way.
On “The Imbuing”, Gizmachi serve up a formuliac cacophony of grandoise death-metal riffs to accompany the strong, but predictably indecipharable vocals. Opening track, and first single, 'The Answer' sets the tone for, what is, for this reviewer anyway, a torrid 45 minutes worth of listening lurching, as it does, from one rock cliche to another.
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Tracks such as 'Wandering Eyes' and 'Romantic Devastation', blur into insignificance after their initial aural shock subsides. The main redeeming feature, which is noticeable throughout, is vocalist and lyricist Sean Kane. The main driving force of the band, Kane's hardcore, tortured vocals are a stand out among the mediocrity.
To be fair, Gizmachi have had plenty of great press elsewhere. Rock bible 'Kerrang' were recently singing their praises and saw fit to award this particular album 4 K's, while 'Revolver', supposedly “The Loudest Rock Magazine” (how does that work?), also deemed “The Imbuing” worthy of 4/5. I must be getting old.
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