Unitron Just a year after their debut hit the scene, simply titled Industrial, the band came back with an EP which already got the band into more of their own sound. While it is an EP, it is longer than the debut if including the silence on the last track. Even if you don't count those, it's only about 10 minutes shorter. While their debut could be a bit too derivative from Godflesh for some, Submit increases the thrash and death metal influences to make Pitchshifter a force to be reckoned with.

Apart from "New Flesh PSI", which isn't really much of a song, this album never lets up with crushing industrial fury that punches the listener to the floor. "Gritter" is a real teeth grinder, which sets the stage for all of the gritty and crunching riffs that permeate through the album. It's also almost impossible to not want to growl along. "Deconstruction" is probably the best on here, and one of Pitchshifter's best tracks in general. It really shows what was to come on the next album, with a driving nail of a riff and J.S. Clayden's chaotic vocal attack. "Dry Riser Inlet" is another one of the band's best tracks, which is a foreboding industrial death metal masterpiece. The bass is driving, but the guitar and vocals are stark during the chorus. The last song "Silo" is an instrumental sludgy dirge that is a great end to the album.

Submit has just the right amount of Pitchshifter's own flavor to make it stand out more than their debut. Some of the best death metal-infused industrial metal out there is on this record, and it should be an essential listen for any industrial fan. As fantastic as this EP is, the band would reach their peak with the following album. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!

Unitron Along with bands like Godflesh, Ministry, and KMFDM, Pitchshifter was among the first industrial metal acts to come around. Formed in 1989, the band released their appropriately titled debut "Industrial" in 1991. However, due to the band releasing their debut a couple years after Godflesh's groundbreaking Streetcleaner, Pitchshifter became commonly dismissed as Godflesh clones. Now, whenever a band does something new there's bound to be some copying, but like many of the thrash metal bands dismissed as clones back in the 80's, Pitchshifter simply wears their influences on this release.

The first thing to note, is that Pitchshifter is a bit more thrash-leaning than Godflesh. They've got the sludgy dissonance of Godflesh with the post-punk of Killing Joke also coming to mind, but they blend enough other elements to create their own sound. "Gravid Rage" is one of the highlights of the album, sounding like a clanking factory machine with Mark Clayden delivering gruff barks with much conviction. "Catharsis" stands out with the almost black metal-esque tremolo guitar picking that plays along with the sludgy dirge. "Skin Grip" has the forcefulness of Pantera, with a crushing groove that pummels the listener and vocals that sound straight out of the Fear Factory debut. "Eye" ends the album with an ominousness unique to the album, combined with the crushing riffing that is throughout the album.

If you're a Godflesh fan, you'll most likely enjoy this. The band do show their influences, and they would develop their own sound better on the next album, but Industrial gets the job done for what it is. All bands need a start to make something really great, and for Pitchshifter that would come soon after. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!