Europe has produced a vast array of young metal bands eager to test their skills against today's heavyweights, yet few have met with much North American success in the "nu-metal" territory. Nuclear Blast does seem to be having some luck with the genre as of late though, as (thanks to some tweaking of their sound) Soilwork have recently begun to turn heads overseas, while Raunchy are also starting to make their mark. Thus, following in the footsteps of their labelmates, Mnemic have set forth in hopes of declaring themselves artists to watch, a fact that is amplified by the meaty metal assault found on their debut album, the curiously familiar sounding "Mechanical Spin Phenomena".

As a group, these men have a fierce dedication to making their debut outing a memorable one, slashing and burning with vicious glee through nine intimidating cuts. As with most young groups however, they also have a tendency to wear their influences on their sleeve, which results in a combination of Meshuggah-like time signatures, introspective industrial sludge akin to Static-X and an early 90's hard rock slant that brings to mind Alice In Chains. This makes much of their album quite familiar, yet it is crafted together in such a way that you never quite feel like they're regurgitating past material. The wails of empty despair emanating from "Liquid" and "Ghost" unveil corridors of haunting clarity for the group, and they line these paths with indestructible metal girders that thrive off of the staggered polyrhythmic designs in place. Rhys Fulber's remix of "Blood Stained" does admittedly close the album with a little too much emphasis on their reminiscent style, and though this was a special addition for the American release, it may have been better off without it simply due to the already heavy Fear Factory feel of the record.

All in all, Mnemic have entered the alt. industrial metal realm with a confident blast of molten magma, and though they do borrow heavily from their recognizable inspirations, "Mechanical Spin Phenomena" is still one of the year's more enjoyable "nu-metal" albums. The off-time signatures and programmed punch provide them with a vicious base from which to expand, and Michael's melodic capabilities prove that the band isn't painted into a corner vocally. Their penchant for lengthy cuts gives them the room necessary to develop and combine all their musical techniques, yet with future efforts one would hope that they were a little less indulgent in trying to capture every influential style. By no means the most original outing, Mnemic still do manage to impress, crafting a metal album that has it's roots in European styles, but extends well beyond to build upon their industrial contortions in the same vein as Chimaira. Due to this, it is a fair assumption that their brand of Americanized alt. metal skills will find them a great deal of support outside of their home country.