Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Mechina - Siege (2021)
Throughout last year (as of this review), I've been slowly getting deep into the world of Mechina. The band is so interesting and unique with their epic symphonic cyber metal sound and a massive saga that can almost rival Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I've already gone through their first 5 albums and a few songs from their later ones. I decided to skip ahead into one of those later albums for a better chance at finding some improvement after their "great but could've gone better" albums 2-5. And album #9, Siege is a journey of sci-fi space majesty! While those other albums focus mainly on futuristic vibes and progressive structures, atmosphere reigns in Siege and rules strongly. It is blended with technical aggression for a better balanced experience. The songs transcend well as they fade from one to another more smoothly, with sound effects added at appropriate times. The characters and story and paint a clearer picture and prove that the cool artwork and lyrics aren't just for show.
Any Mechina fan can grasp this astonishing storyline, yet it really depends to the music to bring it to life with its emotional and chaos. The extreme side lies in the technical drum programming and djenty guitar riffing. The way those instruments really hit hard should really be brought into more of those sci-fi movie battle scenes, not to replace the orchestral score but to blend it all together. That's where the beautiful melodic side of the music comes in, when electronic synths and orchestrations add triumph to the brutal destruction. It makes the human/machine wars sound as they are meant to be. And of course, the story is narrated by male/female vocals which, unlike the previous albums, are almost entirely clean. I think this album would've had the perfect 5-star rating if David Holch contributed his earlier growls in the heavier tracks.
The slow eerie 3-minute intro "King Breeder" creeps in. Then "The Worst in Us" slowly builds up in atmospheric march and finally touches down in a climatic metal storm. Mel Rose sounds so beautiful with her serene singing. That's the epic energy I can expect from this band. "Shock Doctrine" is a short straight track though it has a huge bridge.
"Purity Storm" has more dynamic emotion. The violins sound quite beautiful within this metallic march. The blend of melodic and heavy shall make you crave for more. But it's the title track that has most of the heaviness and epicness in one track. And as it turns out, there ARE harsh vocals, coming from guest vocalist Anna Hel. She actually sounds more aggressive than David Holch! If David ends up quitting harsh vocals full-time, Anna can take his place.
"Claw at the Dirt" once again brings forward the symphonics of Eternal Tears of Sorrow while replacing that band's growls with more of the female singing and futuristic sounds. "Blood Feud Erotica" has the most of the technicality and speed in the drumming, right from the intense beginning. "Freedom Foregone" is the 11 and a half minute final epic, the band's longest song to be part of an album and not released as a separate single. Tragedy and triumph collide with each other, alongside more of the heavy instrumentation and emotional singing. Then after the final chorus, the last bit of clean guitar and violin melancholy close this chapter of the Mechina saga.
It takes some experience to be able to listen to all this emotion and chaos, and in the end, you might just get your reward. Siege is filled with unique almost-perfect majesty, and it has brought me closer in my quest to get myself fully committed to this extreme sci-fi realm. Anyone up for that shall get in on the action with this superb offering!
Favorites: "The Worst in Us", "Purity Storm", "Siege", "Freedom Foregone"