Wrench in the works-Lost art of heaping coal

Facedown
2008


The fact that this release is on Facedown records plus the band name and cover lead me to know that this was going to either metalcore or hardcore with some metal elements pushed in. Wrench in the works actually lean more towards that second style with a fairly aggressive hardcore approach as the primary sound. It’s certainly not bad at all, but it’s all too typical for the most part. The vocals growl and go along with some aggression, but nothing really stands out. It’s a bit like instant coffee, it looks and sort of tastes like coffee yet it doesn’t quite have enough bite or strength to really satisfy. The most original part of the music is the occasional swirling guitar passages that come and go rather quickly. At first these parts provide some promise because it’s the most original aspect of this band’s music. Yet these passages are a little too low in the mix and fly out of the picture like a shooting star and we never get enough time to really absorb them. That’s a shame because that was an angle that could have helped this album. As it stands it’s slightly above average as a whole, but not all that distinct or original.