CD Review

Childman - "Apathy Vein"

By Rat Bastard

With 'Apathy Vein,' Childman present 11 songs of pure unadulterated aggression. Apathetic it certainly is not, but angry it most certainly is (and apparently, I have briefly slipped into Yodaspeak; blame it on the arrival of the new Star Wars flick).

It contains all of the traditional 'angry music to beat people up to' elements. Chunky and bonecrushingly heavy guitar riffs, rumbling bass, rumbling drums to go with that rumbling bass, growling vocals. Also, a few samples and loops are occasionally thrown in for good measure.

Vocalist Keo reminds me of a young Dave Mustaine, minus all tonality, and with the angry knob cranked all the way to 11 (you decide whether or not this is a good thing). Meanwhile, backing vocalist/guitarist Larry Guiterrez shouts counterpoint, delivering his lines in throaty blasts of martial chant.

Most of the songs on Apathy Vein stomp along at a moderate, but still very aggressive pace. However, there are a few, such as 'Forgive Me' that fly along at breakneck speed. Of course, this only dictates the pace at which one is meant to mosh around and smash things while listening to this album, as it presents only one set of emotions, ranging from pissed to very very fucking angry, and hitting all points between the two.

Does Childman present us with anything really new? Probably not. However, fans of bands like Machine Head, Slayer, and Pantera will probably enjoy quite well what Childman has to offer.

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