Austrian Death Machine – Jingle All The Way

By RingMaster Review on December 9, 2011 • ( 0 )

After a year of a constant conveyor belt of sounds consuming the ear from impressive to car crash the new EP from Austrian Death Machine is a fun and enjoyable explosive blast of extreme and intense sounds to bring the festive period in. Though the EP has no actual Xmas tunes within it the three tracks are as is the band’s usual brief inspired by the Austrian/American heavyweight Schwarzenegger and his film output. For the Jingle All The Way EP, the songs are themed by the festive film of the same name, a movie best forgotten but with the great fun songs on the release it can be allowed one more brief flurry of attention.

Austrian Death Machine is the side project of As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis, who brings in extra spice with guest contributions. To this point his project has ensured attention through the two albums Total Brutal and Double Brutal and previous holiday release A Very Brutal Christmas. It is fair to say not everyone has taken to Lambesis’ brutal and uncompromising comedic silliness but after months of serious intense sounds and attitude from hundreds of releases the EP and band are a splash of freshness and enjoyment to leave a definite smile bursting from ear to ear. This is not to say musically the band is less than determined as the release lets fly with riffs that pummel as relentlessly and violently as can heard anywhere and offer up an addictive varied creativity that make the songs more than simple gimmicks.

First track ‘I’m Not A Pervert’ is a thrash fuelled metalcore assault with cutting guitars and punishing riffs plus some scorching solo work by Jason Suecof and Eyal Levi all thrusting forward the Ahhnold impressions from Count Your Curses vocalist Chad Ackerman and lyrical frivolities inspired by the man’s pursuit of a Turboman Doll. It crushes just as effectively as it works on the humour receptors to ensure the track has a definite longer life than just a passing piece of novelty.

The same can be said about the entire trio of thundering songs. ‘It’s Turbo Time’ splatters the senses with a punk soaked hardcore attack and red hot guitar solo from Mark MacDonald who also adds his skills to third track ‘Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies?’. The second song with Ahhnold ‘played’ by Josh Robert Thompson is a no holds barred ear bashing, a track that is swiftly abusive with an air punching anthemic feel as the big man closes in on his ‘Xmas Grail’. Great fun with a final gag at the ends that tickles if not inspiring enough to breakout full blown chuckles for, it is hard to resist the song and its simple eager rough charms.

As mentioned before ‘Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies?’ finishes off the EP. Taken from the Double Brutal album the song is a surge of great guitars and rampant riffs and music that without the lyrical content and theme would be taken very seriously. The metalcore chants of ‘cookies’ on each play never fail to get one joining in and scarring the throat.

Jingle All The Way does not offer anything new musically but is of a high quality that one would expect from Lambesis. It is importantly extreme fun matching its dominating harsh noise and taken as such is a gem that can be enjoyed over and over again. In fact it might well be the very tune to get us through that chaotic time called Christmas with a perpetual grin thanks to Austrian Death Machine.

RingMaster 09/12/2011