Mechanix – New World Underground (2013)

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New World Underground is already the Nuremberg trash metal band Mechanix’s third album, and we’ve come to expect certain things: Namely, groovy and melodic metal songs.

The opening track “Killing Heat” shows obvious parallels to Megadeth and Metallica, yet the band is not a mere copy of the American giants. Their music is independent, it has a charming old-school touch that one can very clearly hear on the track “In My Dreams.” And there’s more for lovers of classic heavy metal: “I Do Not Care” pays homage to Motörhead, while “Assassin” tends more towards Slayer.

Can you even bring put all these different styles on one album? Mechanix prove that you can, with a stunning amount of agility and skill. That doesn’t mean there aren’t one or two weaker efforts like “Crippled” — a aimlessly wandering banger that’s simply not very convincing. Mechanix more than makes up for the misstep, however, with “Necropolis.” The song starts quite slowly, only to grow into a true groove monster.

With New World Underground, Mechanix won’t revolutionize metal, but that’s not the point. This is a varied and, above all, timeless record. They aren’t following trends here, focusing instead on longevity.

Mike Dostert