AUTOBODY

Despite some terrible Dave Draiman impressions by vocalist/bassist Jerrod Maxwell, I very much enjoyed listening to Autobody's 'The Mean Length of Daylight'. His vocal impersonations are best, however, when he tackles a more convincing John Joseph/Corey Taylor/Chuck Schuldiner concoction. Musically, this is a rather skilful and tight metal record. I don't want to lumber it with genre tags because, well, they'd be too many. Still, think heavy and technical and you'll be on the money. They make a great sound for a three-piece, and it would be interesting to see if they can replicate this sound live; shouldn't be a problem, as there appears to be very little in the way of multi-tracking. Indeed, the guitar work of Graeme McInnis is sometimes reminiscent of Deron Miller, which may not appeal to many but, for me, was welcomed. 'Bloodline' carries this particular guitar tone, and weaves lovely melodies (along with the fine vocals on this occasion) to create the album's standout track. It's only on the more generic staccato-thrash tunes where the interest dips. However, that's not to say that they're not enjoyable; far from it. I'd perhaps like to hear some wilder experimentation from these guys on their next release, as they dabble with some electronic elements that are intriguing yet under-developed at this stage. However, for a debut album, this is promising stuff, and I look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

T.R.A.C.E. Records

Album

THE MEAN LENGTH OF DAYLIGHT

Review by Steve Cowan

RUNNING TIME:

46:21

RELEASE DATE:

9th Dec 2008

TRACK LISTING

1) Worms
2) Purrs on Pills
3) Husk of a Man
4) Bloodline
5) Serial Sleep
6) Trucker Hat
7) The Living Edge...
8) ...Of Destruction
9) Plastic Dolls
10) One Life Two Styles
11) The #1
12) Best Man; 13) Dissolving

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Canada

"...a rather skilful and tight metal record."