Let me just start saying something for the record: "Trepanation" (read my interview with Chad to check out what the hell is a "Trepanation") is a must have for any cd collector who digs...huh....I don't know. What we have here folks, is simple: I don't have a clue. It's impossible to define American Head Charge's style. The close I can get is, maybe, an industrial metal sound with KoRn influences, which vocals ranges sometimes from Al Jourgensen's (Ministry) screams to Layne Staley's (Alice In Chains) depressive voice. They're somehow a "spicy" Ministry. I know it's weird, but it sounds amazing, believe me. I'll just stay with Chad (bass / programming) when he says the band "fits in the OzzFest mentality". AHC has it all: heavy melodies with good singer and musicians. They use samples in almost every song in the album (Public Enemy and Ministry, for example); some of them actually kinda funny (something like: 'Alright, listen up! You need to slow this fucking thing down!', and the song just starts the heaviest part of it.) and it turned out to be pretty cool, although I'm not the biggest fan of samples. It has a lot of feeling in the CD, kinda emotional. I'd blame that in Martin's vocal, mostly. I'd say "Desertion"'s one of the best songs in the album, and one of the most emotional in it as well. "Reach And Touch" shows him screaming as a paranoic freak, while in "When I Failed" his voice sounds EXACTLY like Layne Staley's. I started searching for something like: "Layne Staley appears courtesy of Columbia Records" in the booklet, cause it sounds the same. And it turns out to be one of the most beautiful songs in the record. Really emotional, with a lot of feeling. I love it. The best song in the album though, in my opinion, would be "Fall", and that song's the one where the band shows more KoRn influences then ever. Being sincere, most tracks in "Trepanation" are good. I'd say that "Feel The Curtain" is the worst in the album. It's beat is kinda annoying. They don't really use rap in the sound, which I dig, cause most bands use it in their sounds now a days (not that I think it sucks. I love rapmetal.) Overall, the cd kicks ass. They really deserve to blow up in the scene, cause they're, besides great guys, probably the most competent unsigned band I've heard. Get Trepanation while you can, otherwise you won't be able to find it when they sign with some major. And I can guarantee that won't take too long.
(4 / 5)