Search - Gadget :: Remote

An unexpected gem...

James D. Deabenderfer | Aurora, IL, USA, Earth | 01/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sweden's Gadget have arrived, seemingly out of nowhere. This four piece grind squad from Sweden have crept into the scene with the subtlety of a Marine Recon team, only strike at the face of modern deathgrind with that of a Panzer division. To my knowledge Remote is Gadget's full length debut on any label, and they fit in perfectly with Relapse's roster.



Remote was recorded at Studio Phlat Planet, and produced by Fredrik Reinedahl (In Flames) and Gadget themselves. The overall sonic approach is nearly flawless; it's clear and thick with sounding too polished or too raw - excellent engineering. Most of the songs are in the 1-4 minute range, a comfortable and healthy pace for a grind band. There is no mistaking this as a grind band, as all the staples are here: blasts, hardcore rhythms, thick guitar, sinister riffing, sub-end fuzz disorder, and dual high/low vocals. The problem is, there isn't much beyond that. I hear small amounts of experimentation all over this disc; I just wish they'd expand more on their ideas, as they have much potential. That being said, this is a very, VERY solid first effort, and stood among the top debuts of the year 2004, IMO.



"Still" starts off the disc with some off-time chugs and a blast. Immediately, a more focused and evil Nasum comes to mind (and folks, that ain't a bad thing). Before I can even finish that thought, "For what Cause" burns my ears. There's a tremendous amount of SoCal crustgrind influence in the sound of these songs; just listen to the recurring bridge that first occurs at 00:10-00:26. Phobia would be proud. "Crestfallen" starts off with some promising melodic and technical riffing before spiraling down into apocalyptic mayhem (00:00-00:26). This song is really, really good. It's totalitarian demonic jackhammer grind at its finest. The breakdown from 1:07-1:28 is exactly the potential I was talking about. Fourth up is the aptly-named "Death and Destruction". This is the song that would happen if Disrupt got back together today. Its horror ends at a mere 1:11. "Unreachable" pays great attention to rhythmic and dischord layering (particularly 00:19-00:34). Once again, great breakdowns (00:46-1:03) all over the shop. "The Sentinel" is the most memorable song on the disc, just for the intro. I love the passage at 00:31-00:57- that's some great dissonant riffage. Unlucky number seven is "Wake up the Dead". This one is the quintessential grind party tune (check out 00:49-1:05). "Fuel" is NOT a cover of Metallica's cheese-splattered song of the same name. At 00:30-00:33 there's a hint of progression, yet again (Let's see you build a song around that ethos, guys! You're killing me!). "Rid the Darkness" showcases a classic grind formula: double pick a note progression, then repeat the same progression in chords, but at half time. There's a surprising breakdown that leads into "Failure", one of the standout tunes on the disc. A slow mosher, "Failure" is bound to become a crowd favorite. Number eleven, "Connected", sends us back into the line of fire with some of the most pissed-off playing you'll find anywhere. Thirty-eight seconds, and I feel my ribs are bruised. "Inget Val" has an interesting midsection (00:35-00:58), that leads into a sing-along ending. Making up the baker's dozen is "Incomplete". THIS song represents where Gadget could go if they explored their potential. Listen close to this one, from the melodic opening (00:07-00:23) to the equally deep midsection (00:23-00:39), and back into the melodic verse. Gadget explore all this within a solid grind framework, sacrificing not an ounce of integrity; THIS is the future of eurogrind, kids. If the whole album were like this, I'd have a lot more to say about these guys; I'll give them a chance to grow. "Empty Souls" has a similar ethos behind it; the thought crosses my mind that, perhaps the earlier songs on the disc were relatively old, and Gadget wrote most of these latter songs closer to the recording. If so, let's hope we see more of the same on the next one. "Anew" seems to fuse new and old: pissed off, well-layered disso-grind. Check out 00:41-00:48 for the perfect soundtrack to skin a nearby bystander. Sweet sixteen is "Tear you Apart", one of the most bloodthirsty songs on the disc. WOW (00:41-00:51). "Dethrone" has some insane back-and-forth vocals (00:27-00:35) that lead right into a great breakdown that showcases more of this potential I keep yammering about. "Förbrukad" brings early Agoraphobic Nosebleed to mind, with its crusty intro. Still more dissonant melody on this one (00:34-00:42). Perhaps my theory is correct. Onto the title track, "Remote". "Remote" seems to have the most ambitious arrangement of all, with reckless half-to-insane time rhythms and changeovers like you wouldn't believe ( listen at 1:05 if you don't believe me). This song also portrays Gadget's ability to seamlessly incorporate American death metal influence into their grind base (1:13-1:23). "Enigmatic" showcases melody as a weapon (00:06-00:14), and nearly destroy your synapses with it. There's some serious damage from 1:02-1:25, leading right into a great breakdown that grooves till the end of the song. Last up is "Tema:Skit" (what the he11 does that mean??) "T:S" starts off with a basic rudiment snare roll, and discharges into a dissonant, slow dirge. The band fully explore this depressive vessel to the point of melting into the noise... and I'm spent.



Gadget have made their mark in the impressive debut that is Remote. There is a lot of potential in this band; potential I hope will be soon realized. Were it not for that, Gadget could have been written off as a typical grind band. The band delivers on modest promises. My advice: listen to this CD with headphones on, all the way through, twice. You will not be disappointed.

"

Excellent swedish grind

James D. Deabenderfer | 03/19/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sweden's been pimping quite the number of worthwhile grind bands as of late and Gadget fits in nicely among the likes of Nasum, Retaliation, Sayyadina, Relevant Few, Birdflesh, Crowpath (yeah their not "grind" but it's close enough and their damn good anyways so shudup)...etc. The production is loud, clear, dense and conveys all the power that well played grindcore should, not any hollow sounding nonsense. It's nice to see a band, in an age where every extreme metal band and their mom feels the need to incorporate some elements of grind in their sound, actually just play straight and pure grindcore with no bull and pull it off so well. It's rarer then you might think. If your a big fan of grindcore, you should really hear this album. I give it only four stars because Nasum and Relevant Few are still my favorite Swedish grind bands"

Ain't nothin' 'fad' bout this band

r.pearson | germany | 12/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"one of the premier pure grind bands in the industry, and an absolutely amazing collective to see live; plus, they're on relapse, what more do you need to know?"