Austrian Death Machine album review
Austrian Death Machine – Double Brutal – Album Review
Words by Ian Dickinson
This album is certainly not for the “Girly Men” out there. This is an intense and expertly executed, hysterical Heavy Metal album which will have you running in circles and giggling all at the same time. The eighth year of my life was distinctly formative and entertaining, for two reasons. Reason one – I first discovered Guns N Roses and my love of heavy, sleazy music was born. Reason two – I discovered the cinema of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Arnie) via the movie Conan The Destroy. I was the happiest eight year old in Clarks school shoes. I would watch Predator, Commando, and Terminator 2 before and after school on VHS tapes that flickered and jumped continuously until the same effect was permanently ingrained on my vision. So for me this album offered either unlimited joy or horrendous disappointment.
Just to clarify all this talk of Arnie is relevant to this album review and isn’t merely my reminiscent ramblings (maybe it is a little bit.) If you are new to the world of Austrian Death Machine allow me to enlighten. Tim Lambesis, vocalist for As I Lay Dying (AILD) has created a Heavy Metal band based solely on the movies of Arnie. The themes and lyrics of the songs are based on some of Arnie’s most infamous one-liners such as the track Let Off Some Steam from Commando, Come On, Do It, Do It, Come On, Come On, Kill Me, Kill Me from Predator and one of my personal favourites Who Told You, You Could Eat My Cookies from Jingle All The Way. Lambesis is joined on Double Brutal by Aahnold (played by Fake Arnold Schwarzenegger a.k.a. Josh Thompson) who generally abuses Tim for being a “girly man with colourful tattoos,” talks a lot of crap, quotes his own movies and helps with vocals on the majority of tracks.
This album could have been absolutely horrible and I was dubious upon hearing about this crazy concept however appealing it seemed in theory. Mixing humour and music is always a dangerous game to play, but Lambesis has pulled it off with this masterpiece of Arnie’core. This album has had me giggling and smirking like a teenage clown at a cheese and Nitrous Oxide party since I got it. More importantly it has had my head banging and fist pumping whenever I get the chance to crank up my stereo. Just as Arnie and Carl Weathers made a powerful and mega masculine duo in Predator, Heavy Metal and Arnie do the same here on Double Brutal.
Double Brutal isn’t merely a hardcore mission statement or a clever title for the sequel to 2008s Total Brutal; it is a monstrous double record. All the tracks on Disc 1 are originals but all the songs on Disc 2 are covers of tracks used on the Soundtracks of Arnie’s movies; a genius way to include some covers under the umbrella of the Arnie theme.
Insane guitar solos accompany every track, blatant and brutal breakdowns keep your head bouncing hard from start to finish. The songs combine Lambesis Heavy Metal growl which is quite different to his almost inaudible Deathcore scream in AILD with and Aahnold’s strange Austrian Heavy Metal meowing. The hooks are huge, catchy and simple making them ideal for instant shout-a-long classics. My personal favourite is I Need Your Clothes, Your Boots, and Your Motorcycle. The songs are interspersed with comedy intros and skits, which genuinely amused me through out. It turns out that the movie Batman and Robin was written by penguins. There is a satirically dimension to the record also. Poking fun and commenting on the current state of Heavy Metal with singers sounding like Cookie Monster or a dieing moose in an attempt to keep up with the latest fashions.
Arnie and Heavy Metal jokes aside the musicianship on this album is top class with appearances from Billy Sheehan, Buz McGrath, Andrew Tapley, James Gericke, Mark Macdonal, Rocky Gray and the legendary Rusty Cooley. The guitar solos provide the shining centre piece of each track. I think any heavy metal fan will find aspects of this album to appreciate even if the overall concept is not quite to their liking. It is Heavy Metal in its purist form; fast, loud and exhilarating.
Disc 2 is a real self indulgent treat with covers of songs by Metallica, Judas Priest, Motorhead, Megadeath, Goretorture, Agnostic Front and the Misfits. Sadly the only let down on the album is the cover of the Misfits track I Turned Into A Martian which doesn’t really work as a jokes metal tune.
Some people will straight up hate this album and I can appreciate that, maybe they are Sylvester Stallone fans or maybe music isn’t something to joke around with in their minds. One of my only concerns is that overtime the jokes will grow old but I think there is enough sheer brutal Metal to keep it fresh for a long time to come. So crush some beers on your chest, put some shades and a big leather jacket on, adopt a dodgy Austrian accent and rock out like the world is about to be taken over by murderous machines!
