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PROBOT (s/t) 2LP/CD

Here it is, the long anticipated so-called Metal projekt PROBOT of ex-Scream/Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, who has written all here included tracks, and with Southern Lord records, he had found a home for his tribute idea. Maybe my expectations were to big, but I'm disappointed from over the half of the material. The album opens with "Centuries of Sin" fronted by Cronos, and it's more like a worse Venom outake, though Cronos owns still a mighty voice, but his glory days are over. Next one is "Red War", featuring Max Cavalera and so you can expect a song that reminds to Sepultura, but I never cared much about this band. For me the first highlight is the Lemmy track "Shake your Blood", that is no real surprise, because it sounds like a typical up-tempo Motörhead song, but I like it more than most of the tracks from the band's last records. Check out the stylish video-clip, with hundred of half-naked girls in bondage and Wino - it's real fun. "Access Babylon" is the next average song, because it's the Mike Dean track. He's the bass-player of COC and Ninefinger, and I love COC since their "Animosity" album, but the here featured track is just a bloodless pseudo HC number. After this, Kurt Brecht of DRI comes up with "Silent Spring", and it's not as boring as the the Dean track, but I better listen to very early DRI stuff, if I want to have the real thing. "Ice Cold Man" has been written for Lee Dorrian, and no matter what this man sings, it sounds like Cathedral and so it's here. I prefer this track more like the previous numbers, but it's nothing outstanding, and comes close to later Cathedral material.

Than comes the best song of the complete PROBOT album - "The Emerald Law", where Wino is doing his awesome singing! Hey, this man can sing down the phone book of my hometown, and it would sound great. "The Emerald Law" is a fine up-tempo number and Wino's solo guitar is remarkable as ever. After this highlight, we've one of the lowest lowlights - when Tom G. Warrior sings "Big Sky". This man had written history with Celtic Frost, and a record like "Into the Pandemonium" still belongs to my faves after nearly 17 years, but this is nothing but crap. Enough said, so I switch over to "Dictatorsaurus", where one can listen to the original Voivod frontman Snake. Though, this song is more enjoyable, than the previous one, it just receives a lukewarm attention from me. It comes close to the latest Voivod album, but I prefer their early records. "My Tortured Soul" features Eric Wagner of Trouble/Lid fame on vocals, and here it's nearly the same thing as with the Wino track. Eric's Wagner vocals are so outstanding, that not much can go wrong. It sounds like a demo-version of a never released Trouble song, that could have been on the "Plastic Green Head" album. Well done! Before we go over to the hidden track, King Diamond's high-pitched vocals are dominating "Sweet Dreams". I never been a big fan of Mercyful Fate or King Diamond, but this one is better, than most of the other tracks here. At least, Jim Black (?) ist the secret guest vocalist on the hidden track "I am the Warlock". This is the heaviest song on the album, and his vocals are very impressive, and I like the hidden humour in the lyrics. At least, I think it was a nice idea of D. Grohl to pay tribute in that form to some of his musical heroes, but for my taste the musical substance of the PROBOT album is very less. And big names don't make a good record! Decide for yourself!

(KK)

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