SCAVENGER
"Madness
to Our Method" (Sentinel; 2004)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Scavenger are a metal band out of Ireland who play a type of metal you may not have heard before. "Madness to Our Method" is a fascinating and mostly successful blend of classic 70s metal (i.e. Cirith Ungol), the best of 80s metal (i.e. Judas Priest, etc.) and modern progressive metal exploration.
There are six tracks on "Madness to Our Method" but don't think that this CD is an EP. The songs here are all of epic length (the shortest running time is 4:57; the longest is 9:23) and they play out with nary a thought as to what might be considered commercial. Don't get me wrong - this is no scattershot experimental CD - but Scavenger writes and plays their songs without any prerequisite in mind. In other words, they're not catering to marketing devices such as radio.
My only concern about "Madness to Our Method" is that it may not bear out well after repeated plays. Personally, I found subsequent listenings of this CD to be somewhat dull and repetitive. There's a sameness here that eventually blurs the entire CD together and ultimately drags it down.
Still, my first few listens to this CD found me nodding my head in admiration for a band delivering a fresh new sound. These days, that alone is worth something.
Scavenger: Peter Dunne - vocals; Niall Cooney - bass; Noel Maher - guitars; Johnny Kerr - drums.
For more information, check out http://www.scavenger.ie.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2004 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 16 Dec 2024 12:46:35 -0500.
