CoC : Dog Faced Gods - Random Chaos Theory in Action : Review

Dog Faced Gods - _Random Chaos Theory in Action_
(Gothenburg NoiseWorks, 1999)
by: Jody Webb (8.5 out of 10)

A sonic assault in the vein of Machine Head, Meshuggah, and Fear Factory, with just a hint of In Flames for the melody fan in you. These boys have got the guitars and double kick locked in and locked in tight, and at points I found myself wondering if Dog Faced Gods were going to out-Fear Factory Fear Factory, if you can follow that one. Not since Slayer's _Seasons in the Abyss_ have I heard such first rate thrashing as "Dirge", but on the downside this outfit loses points for blatant riff shoplifting on "Blindfolded", where they gank a Dino Cazares special. Despite this slip, ax slinger Conny Jonsson slaps some truly original effects on his tasteful solos, amounting to what I believe is a sweeping filter running through a flange. The result can be breathtaking, as on "Fractured Image", and is probably the only truly original idea on the disc -- but that's saying something, because few bands do anything original. I could go for a different throat, or better, no voice at all. This is thrash done so well, why muddle it with trite lyrics of remarkable mediocrity? A solid debut.

(article published 14/3/1999)