Muen Magazine

Machine Rox

Driven EP

Synchrotrax Records

I’d say that I hate this type of repetitive Electro Industrial music, but that would be admitting that material so robotic and mechanical such as Machine Rox was capable of eliciting any type of human emotion from the listener.  So I’ll just say “Eh.”

Myopic in its scope and cliché  in its execution, Driven are 5 tracks of flat, unimaginative, uninspired computer generated mediocrity.  Sure, there are hints of The Prodigy and even Rammstein in some of the synth and programming.  But not enough to actually give the music any depth or identity such as the aforementioned bands garner.

Machine Rox is the brain dead child of Richard K who played bass, guitar and did programming for the band Global Noise Attack and was a member of Meat Machine.  Yawn.  I’m sure he feels that this project gives him the opportunity to experiment with dark and obscure atmospheres.

Well, bullocks.

Edgar Allen Poe was someone who could experiment with dark and obscure atmospheres, not some bloke from across the pond that’s offering up regurgitated frenzied techno beats and monotone whispers over disappointing guitar riffs.  But as if all this wasn’t enough, according to their press release, 2010 saw the arrival of a new one named female singer, Aga!

Hip-hop horary.

Why Aga was brought into the already boring and desolate soundscape I have no idea.  All she does is follow Richard K’s lead with the whole whispering routine and when she does attempt to step out of formation the result is off key notes that make you cringe.  I’m sure Richie has an array of sound editing software so I’m not completely sure why he brought in a female voice when for all practical purposes he could have just pitch shifted the hell out of his own ho-hum voice.  Maybe he was just trying to impress her.  I know that’s how I pick up on women, by asking their tone deaf asses to join my electro industrial group (of me, myself and I).

But all kidding aside, this CD is rubbish.  I’m positive there’s other stuff out there but I really don’t care to go looking for it because as far as I’m concerned Machine Rox and the ten million other bands like them are a dead genre.  Death deserving.

Only buy this EP if you have a friend that’s contemplating suicide and you’re tired of hearing them bitch and complain and just want to give them something that will inevitably push them over the edge. That’s about all the worth this music has in it, suicide assistance.

STUKE