Time Signature Empty machine...

Genre: groove metal

Do you remember the mid 90s? You know, back when everybody was into grunge and alternative rock. And if you were not in a grunge band, you played groove metal and listened to the likes of Pantera, Helmet and Sepultura's "Chaos A.D." and "Roots".

Betzefer's latest album "Freedom to the Slave Makers" very much reminds me of that era with its collection of quite awesome groove metal tracks. Yes, quite awesome, because Betzefer are good at what they do. This album is groove from the beginning to the end, and Betzefer really have a knack for writing ballsy and outright magnificent groove metal guitar riffs. Virtually all the tracks on the album are wonderfully groov-a-licious and it is hard not to want to do some headbanging and moshing when you listen to this album, and the few metalcore breakdowns and upbeat thrash elements on this album make for positive contributions to the overall musical style.

Musically it rocks!

But the vocals are endlessly annoying, I must say. I don't mind punky yelled vocals, but it has to be done right, and the vocal style on this album, although it varies between three or four different types of yelling, just doesn't do it for me. And the vocals really disturb the listening experience, I think.

Had it not been for the vocals, I would give this album 3,5 or even 4 stars because of the awesome riffage and the retro attitude, and the 3 star rating, I think, still shows how awesome the music is - had the music itself not been what it is, the rating might have been 2 or even just 1 star.

Recommended to fans of groove metal, and if you like yelled vocals, this should be your cup of tea, too.