Muzzle Inc. fire off rounds of verbal artillery over their funk tinged blend of rapcore which features sound musicianship and catchy grooves. The group can bring to mind a less eclectic Insolence or perhaps the ill fated Xashinto, as they float smooth rhymes over music more akin to early Red Hot Chili Peppers than your typical downtuned rapcore band.
Vocally the album is quite graceful, as the lyrics litter the tracks with a slightly stunted verbal pattern and ignite the choruses with an overblown, yet authentic aggression that has enough restraint to keep the screams feeling well placed, rather than sounding contrived. A few stylish croons are tossed in here and there and can remind heavily of groups like Shudderbug and earlier Incubus. One of the strongest points of the spoken aspect of this CD though, is also the fact that the lyrics are not always rapped, which in turn gives the band enough of a boost of dynamic energy to set themselves apart from the tons of other acts attempting something similar. Guitars are sharply tuned and strut through their energetic parts with pride, utilizing clean off-time funk strums along with the occasional sludgy distorted riff to create an enticing blend of funk meets new metal. Bass on the other hand seems to be in the drivers seat, leading the songs with a slap and pop/muted funk style that takes form with addictive riffs and groove heavy rhythms which brightly showcase a blossoming talent, yet don't hog the spotlight enough to make the album completely bass oriented. Drums are heavily hit and filled with ample breathing room as they work closely with the bass, filling in the gaps to allow for true lowend freedom. A few rolls and variations are included to keep things fresh, but overall the percussive experience is quite humble as a whole.
The band have definitely done their homework, as their song structures tend to pay homage to the artists of funks past, using constant shifts of pace along with well written breakdowns and the like. They also occasionally toss in a few booming bass drops to create a hip hop reminiscent feel on a track or two and seem to have a taste for the use of colorful dynamics. A taste which shows up the most on the song "Testimonies", where the band brings about a sort of verse variant that gives each separate instrument the chance to have their own consecutive short solo. To many bands this could wind up a horrible mess, but for these boys each of their excursions compliment the others and yet still manage to integrate themselves rather seamlessly into the song to the point where the less keen eyed listener would probably not even notice it. Unfortunately though, there are still a few problems that can arise like the sporadic loss of momentum due to some parts not intersecting as smoothly as they could along with the almost stuttering of a rhyme or two, which can mildly make the vocals feel a bit lackluster in certain parts. But despite this, overall the group seem to be on the right track. Muzzle Inc. have a hard road ahead of them as the music they are playing has a bit of a stigma attached to it, with a considerable amount of listeners having moved on from the rapcore styled genre and now being close minded to any act that attempts anything similar to it. But in Muzzle's defense their poignantly charged brand of traditional funk influence, mixed with well moderated aggression is a good example of how rap, rock and funk can be mixed together successfully, without trying to sound anything like Korn or Limp Bizkit.
(3.5 / 5)
