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Various Artists - Myx Metal Assault
Album Review written by yun
The Myx Metal Assault compilation was released way back in 1998. If you do your Math, you’ll realize that’s almost half a decade ago. I’m pretty sure ardent metal fans out there would have probably heard, or come across it somewhere somehow by now, but heck, yours truly shall go ahead with my short and sweet review of it. Simply cos:
1) This is one good example of an album that shows just how fast the local music scene shifts gears. The six metal bands featured in the CD were at the peak of their prime then and most were formed in the early 90s/mid-90s. Present state? Some defunct (e.g. Tri-Ryche), some undergone line-up changes (e.g. X-Conxept), some still playing and doing gigs (e.g. Dethmute – if I’m not wrong, think they’re in the performers’ line-up for the next Xtreme Metal), while amongst them, individual band members have moved on to other projects. To a certain extent, the fickleness of this industry mirrors the path of our lives. In a nutshell, isn’t one human being’s life all about changes -- be it inevitable or due to causal factors -- and how we learn to adapt, instead of succumbing to them? It’s a fact that bands come and go, but change need not necessarily be a bad thing. What’s more heartening is to witness the effort musicians put in to keep their passion burning, and that spirit of making great music alive.
2) We all know how some commercial tunes produced eons ago turn out sounding so terribly dated now (especially those in the 80s disco era…think Kylie Minogue, Corey Hart…haha). Surprisingly, the tracks on Myx Metal Assault do not suffer from such a fate. Pulsating and energetic on the ears, you could deceive an unknowing me, claiming it’s a 2004 release, and I’ll buy your pack of lies. That’s how fresh the album sounds! Big thumbs up to the longevity of metal and good old rock.
3) Aside from a few bland, forgettable tracks, this compilation certainly reeks of solid musicianship and techniques wizardry. A very encouraging sign to all aspiring bands out there– Singapore does have the resources to make a metal album on par with those of the West! One of the most outstanding tracks is Manifest’s “Budaya”, a creative infusion of slashing metal riffs and elements of Eastern ethnic music. If you dig classic 80s thrash metal in the vein of Metallica, Zeotz’s aggressive “Dementia” is the song that’ll make your day. Other notable mentions include X-Conxept’s melodic-rockish “Thoughts”, Dethmute’s groovy “Bleeding History (Bloody Chaos)” and the emotionally powerful – “Nightmares” by Tri-Ryche and “Pain” by Noize Unit. |
