Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Drowningman - Rock and Roll Killing Machine (2001)

You know how hardcore a band's gonna get with this sarcastic "fight me, b****rds" attitude, and Drowningman is no exception! Rock and Roll Killing Machine allows them to bite their way through social commentary in statements delivered to the metalcore masses.

From the shadows of Rock and Roll Killing Machine, Drowningman brought the right tools for the sound of this second album of theirs in a noisy mix of elements from hardcore punk and crossover thrash that formed metalcore. It is shocking to find the lack of appreciation this band gets for their strength. They even had the audacity to write a few long song titles, which I'll shorten so I don't get exhausted just from writing them all.

"When People Become Numbers" has strength in numbers, and by that, I mean numbers of aspects to expect in metal/mathcore. The hardly recognizable "Last Week's Minutes from the Meeting..." deserves more attention with its sharp relentless riffing attack, eventually turning into some of the most melody this band has ever had to blow through your head. "The Truly Dangerous Nature of a Man..." is probably the heaviest song here, but it won't go out without a soft ending with clean vocals. There are a few more songs coming up, and they have shorter song titles...

The title track has excellent melody in the chorus. "Code Breaking Hearts" is a classic highlight, starting with speedy aggression before some more melodic sections, all great when you're along for the ride. "My First Restraining Order" is definitely not the first mathcore song I've listened to, but it's a great start for newcomers.

"This Year’s Most Fashionable Signs of Weakness" is a slightly longer song title than the previous 3, but they're clever enough to eliminate the emo class for the greater scene of bands like Cable (still waiting for that band to be added to this site) and Today is the Day. You'll never be bored in the frantic "If God Loves a Winner..." And finally, "Angles And Defenses" is the band's last line of metal/mathcore defense before their long break until one more album.

Rock and Roll Killing Machine reaches near-perfection with its caustic blend of melody and dissonance in the vocals and guitars, creating crazy monstrous hooks for noisy hardcore punk songs to morph with math metal into their own subgenre. Drowningman has proven that it's hard to replicate the Killing Machine that they are!

Favorites: "When People Become Numbers", "Last Week's Minutes from the Meeting...", "The Truly Dangerous Nature of a Man...", "Code Breaking Hearts", "This Year’s Most Fashionable Signs of Weakness"