Sweden's Machinery play what can be essentially described as thrash
metal with a modern slant. From the first percussive riffs and snarls
that give way to the inaugural clean sung chorus on opener "Salvation
for Sale", it becomes clear that they have considerable intent and
sufficient ability to pull off entertaining material in this vein.
While they may sporadically sound reminiscent of a less intricate
Nevermore, with fewer melodic leanings and a decent but understandably
less potent production job than the Americans, Machinery nevertheless
hold their own in terms of songwriting and execution. Their rhythm
section is tight and consistent, and their singer is unafraid to take
chances, with generally favourable results.The most evident downside to _Degeneration_ is its lack of any great
individuality to separate it from others in this well explored genre,
despite welcome attempts at variety on songs like "Unholy Demon" and
"Falling Through the Grid". Too bad that the album closer is a
letdown. Even without much originality to speak of however, Machinery
still manage to deliver a worthwhile album for the simple reason that
they write and perform enjoyable numbers that will please most of
those who appreciate this style.