The Apparatus - Last Chance To Reason

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Last Chance To Reason - Lvl. 1

Thursday, 05 June 2008

Editor's rating

7.4

out of 10

Reviewed by:
Chris Alfano
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Thursday, 05 June 2008
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Music Information

Track Listing:
01. Owned By A Stingray Barb
02. She's My Bloody Pie
03. Escape From Brinstar
04. Me And Tom Brokaw Are Like "This"
05. Maddens For NOObz
06. It's Professional When That Happens
07. Kraid Ain't Got Shit On Me
08. Get Awesome
09. Those Were Real Witch Bones
10. Joe Dirt
11. Destroy Mother Brain
12. Cock Eating Bullet

Artist: Last Chance To Reason
Title: Lvl. 1
Genre: Progressive Metal • Hardcore
Release Date: 07 August 2007
Record Label: Tribunal Records
Format: Full-length
Country: United States of America
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Editor review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful


Overall rating (weighted)		7.4
Musicianship		8.0
Composition		7.0
Experimentation		7.0
Production		8.0
Value		7.0

It's been quite awhile since my brain was alternately challenged and assaulted over the course of 30 minutes. With 'Lvl. 1', Maine's Last Chance to Reason come very close to achieving that effect. At first, it appears that this highly talented quintet specializes in a surgically precise brand of technical metalcore. While there are a few nods to Psyopus and Despised Icon here and there, LCTR seems to offset the chaos with songs that are a little smoother than one might expect. While I don't necessarily attribute the aforementioned "smoothness" to better songwriting skills, their less conventional approach is a nice change of pace.

Things get off to a sudden start with "Owned By A Stingray Barb". Without even reading the lyrics, I think we can safely guess that this one was written in (mocking?) tribute to the late Steve Irwin. All cruel jokes aside, this track sees the band going straight for the knockout punch with a series of ascending guitar runs and jagged rhythms that keep the listener off-guard and highly vulnerable. But just when you expect to be kicked between the eyes and buried for good, the onslaught changes pace with a few synth passages that could have been lifted from
Genghis Tron's 'Cloak Of Love'.

Although relegated to a support role, the keysboards do much to set LCTR apart from their peers. While some songs only employ them for the sake of spitting out weird sound effects, others would make far less of an impact without them. "She's My Bloody Pie" is a prime example, with it's subtle, yet powerful ambience that is derived from the pulsing synth lines in the background. In addition to its atmosphere, this track is notable for the mangled riffs of guitarist AJ Harvey, who sounds like he has spent some time studying mid-period Botch (i.e., 'We Are The Romans').

While 'Lvl. 1' consists mostly of solid, well-composed tracks, there are a couple of spots that see the band falling on their collective face. "Those Were Real Witch Bones" is the worst offender, as it combines cheesy, upbeat melodies with a main riff that sounds like third-rate Pantera. Add in the horrendous chorus (which sounds like Drowningman at their worst), and you've got a loser on all points. But the band makes up for such mediocrity with tracks like "Me And Tom Brokaw Are Like This", which features flowing bass lines (a la Sean Malone or Tony Choy) with a bit of Canvas Solaris in its riffs and overall structure.

All in all, LCTR can take pride in having released a disc that qualifies as a moderate success. We can only hope that future releases will contain less of the silly melodic crap, and more of the tightly controlled chaos. Therein lies their true forte.

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