Albums

Album Review: Chokehold

[Album: The Sweet Sense of Genocide]
[Label: N/A]

Following the lead of the likes of Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails in the use of the Internet as a music distribution tool are Oxfordshire-based Chokehold who, after failing to agree a more conventional distribution deal for their 2007-recorded album ‘The Sweet Sense of Genocide’, have decided to release it for free from their website. It is an interesting decision to make, and time will tell if it will help increase their profile still further after building an impressive touring track record in recent years, supporting the likes of Architects, Panic Cell and Saxon. It is nonetheless a noble, if increasingly common, sentiment, it must be said, though the question must still be asked; free or not, is the follow-up to 2006’s ‘The Killing Has Begun’ actually any good?

As you may expect from a band adopting such an alpha-male moniker as Chokehold, the music is anything but subtle. Opener ‘Life on Loan’ is a blistering, uncompromising mix of groove metal and distinct elements of old school thrash; the influence of the likes of Pantera and Machine Head on their sound are, like so many aspects of the album, utterly obvious. A constant sense of in-your-face menace permeates throughout, with aggressive vocal bellows mixing with squealing guitars and chunky, uncomplicated riffs; live, or under the influence, you could imagine Chokehold bringing the house down with this kind of material.

Unfortunately, there is no real variety to the music, and the album quickly becomes tedious. When Chokehold attempt to inject moments of melody into their sound, as in ‘Gutterman’, it is apparent that vocalist Graham Von Pentzawar simply isn’t up to the task; his limited vocal range does not convince outside of the band’s usual sonic habitat. Perhaps this betrays an inability, rather than an unwillingness, to break out of the formulaic approach ‘The Sweet Sense of Genocide’ takes. Regardless, it is thoroughly one-paced, and fails to hold the listeners’ attention past the first couple of songs.

It might seem over-critical to dismiss what is, in its own way, a solid chunk of tight-as-Hell riff-based metal, and if you listen to nothing but Pantera and Machine Head (and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that!) you will probably enjoy ‘The Sweet Sense of Genocide’. However, Chokehold’s sound has been covered a thousand times over - and significantly better - and their inability to add their own element to the genre lets them down badly.

For fans of: Pantera, Machine Head, Biohazard
Band link = Chokehold

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