Like all of my reviews, this one's very late in coming. Forge have already collected their well-deserved Detroit Music Award for OUTSTANDING HARD ROCK/METAL ARTIST/GROUP back in April and, I'm sure, are moving on to other things. I flaked out again a few months ago and disappeared from MB due to burnout and frustration and never finished their review. There just isn't enough time in my life to indulge in my avocation and meet all my familial and financial responsibilities. But when the writing bug bites, I have to listen and I really hate to leave things undone. So, enough of my blather. Here's my review of Forge's "Bring on The Apocalypse." - Mitch"Bring on The Apocalypse" by Forge
Band: Forge
Release: "Bring on the Apocalypse"
Label: Static Records
Year: 2004
Band Members: John Dearry (Guitar), Aaron Greene (Vocals, Guitar), Greg Mastin (Drums), Steve Greene (Bass)
Recorded at: Tempermill Studios by Tony Hamera
Produced by: Tony Hamera and Forge
Apocalypse Now?
On September 11th, 2001 it seemed the world we had known, loved and took for granted evaporated before our dumb-stuck eyes. And for a few hours that morning nobody knew if the attacks were over or if there was something much larger, longer and tougher in store for us. Was this a one-time deal or the beginning of the end for the U.S.? After all, every empire that has ruled throughout world history has met its inevitable demise. It's only a matter of time, really, and our young nation seems intent to burn our historic candle at both ends and in the middle.
Those who clutched the American flag with white knuckles and who heretofore believed the U.S. was indestructible, impenetrable, and untouchable suffered the worse reaction to 9/11. My neighbor, God Bless his red American neck, didn't leave his house, his shotgun or his private stock of domestic beer and cigarettes for three weeks; there was much re-rationalization to be done privately indoors. His very accommodating wife (she keeps him in fresh beer and cigarettes) told me he nearly suffered a complete breakdown trying to make sense of the whole thing.
Some people, like me for instance, weren't entirely surprised by the attacks - shocked and saddened, of course, but not entirely surprised. If you know your political history, especially the last forty years of U.S. foreign policy, you have to figure there's some past due karmic debt. When I heard a third airliner hit the Pentagon I called my wife, counted my blessings and braced for impact. What more could you do really?
But some people secretly welcomed the idea of an American meltdown. And I'm not talking about middle-eastern Islamic extremists hell-bent on destruction, but fine, upstanding, pay-your-bills-on-time, everyday kind of people. Why? A couple of reasons. First, Armageddon would likely mean the end of the prevailing social order, which many in the overworked underclass would certainly welcome - if only to take a breather from the 2 1/2 jobs they're working just to survive. And it would create an opportunity for some people to reposition themselves within whatever society emerged from the ashes. As Vice President Dick Cheney and and Haliburton proved in recent years, devastation does create it's opportunities.
Post-Apocalyptic Social Climber
Take my massive friend "Torque", for instance. Torque's a gun-toting 2nd Amendment patriot who was also shocked and saddened by 9/11, as befitting any upright Christian-American. But secretly, he welcomed the idea of an end to the prevailing social order - an order in which he finds himself wanting in power and position. In any apocalyptic aftermath, Torque would likely be upgraded in status from lowly maintenance worker who feels under-appreciated, under-paid and under-utilized, to the quasi-realization of his chosen e-mail address, "King Torque". Egomaniacal aspirations aside, many people I know would likely find themselves depending on Torque for his keen survival skills, high aptitude for mechanical repairs, and his uncanny ability to build useful things out of junk. Add to that his Alpha-Male, "Silver-backed Gorilla" disposition (his own description) and you have a recipe for an post-apocalyptic survivalist who'd be more than willing to fill any local leadership vacuum. If he survived at all, he's pretty confident he'd come out on top.
Appetite for Destruction
But there's another reason regular folk might welcome an apocalypse, which is even more primitive than Torque's fantasy of post-apocalyptic social climbing. An Apocalypse would satisfy the urge to witness devastation on a biblical scale. With the mega-popularity of reality television nowadays and its ever-increasing vulgarity, violence, and voyeurism, I have to believe there's sizable audience out there who'd love nothing more than to witness destruction of massive proportions, even bigger than last year's "Shock & Awe" special (I mean, that was so last season). I think there's a real hunger in this country to push the envelope, dance on the razor's edge aand tempt the fates with a raised middle finger- which brings us to the title of this record.
Bring On The Apocalypse
"Bring on The Apocalypse" is Forge's third full-length release on Static Records, following 1998's "Decloaking" and 1999's "Trials". The bands releases have evolved with a science-fiction theme that at first seemed quaint, then kind of slick and now poignant and darkly prophetic for wartime in 2004. Their sound has been described in another review as "new-jack meta-metal and 'punkish modern-hardcore'. I'd only add that 'Apocalypse' is an appropriate sonic context for those who teeth upon ultra-violent sci-fi, comic books and video games. It captures the bleakness of post-modern warfare with the rage and power born of humanity in crisis.
What I find particularly appealing about this recording are the timely and relevant themes of war and social decay which Forge deliver with consistent and believable angst. There's good reason to be pissed off these days (unless you haven't been watching the news) when it seems the very fabric of the civil world is unraveling in a chaotic spin. No genre captures this angst and fatalistic despair better than hardcore metal (with the possible exception of industrial metal e.g. Ministry). Forge tempts fate with a soundtrack for the end of days. Probably the most relevant record I've heard so far in '04 and a requirement for any returning vet who's developed a taste for hot, bloody metal - the hard way.
Track Listing and commentary:
1. The Fold: The record begins with a dose of adrenaline, a guitar, bass and drum battery that has an urgency and purpose reminiscent of Queensryche. They lyrics remind us of the sacrifices we make for social assimilation and rails against those who accept the status quo without question. Aaron Green sings, "We learn that way from the start and every drone does their part.../ It's never too late to become what you hate.../ just one more chance to take it back, just one more chance.'
2. One Swift Motion: Drummer Greg Mastin makes no bones about boxing your ears with double bass-pedal mallets. In peace time, this song could be soundtrack for "Final Destination", the movie in which death chases the characters down one by one and finishes them off with photogenic flair. But since we are at war and people are really dying every day in Iraq and Afghanistan, I couldn't help but think of our troops when Greene sings, "You checked the right side, forgot about the left / You check behind you, forgot about in front/ ...Each step you take could be your last / just pray that it happens fast." God speed to the men & women of the armed forces and, God willing, may the rest of you return safely.
3. The Torch: Continuing with the theme of war, "The Torch" is a rock anthem for those who do battle. Dual guitars riff in unison against a battery of drum fills reminiscent of Judas Priest or Iron Maiden perhaps. The vocal mix here reminds me of early Kiss. The lyrics instruct our troops to cover their ass until glory can be achieved; "Keep your guns ready and stay on guard / Your greatest moments are in store."
4. Bring on The Apocalypse - This one begins with a speed-metal punctuated by drum and bass stabs. "Bring on the Apocalypse" isn't so much about prophesy or the end of days, I think, as it is about the desire to simply witness destruction on a biblical scale. Sure, there's a references to plague, viruses and a 'final battle' for global supremacy, but the lyrics betray a simpler motive. It's not some lofty goal of, say, hitting the social or moral "reset button" and cleansing our troubled, chaotic planet of it's karmic constipation. Rather, it seems to be no more than the basic instinct that compels us to watch the bombing of Baghdad on CNN, or gawk while passing a bloody car-crash, or satisfy our voyeurism for aging, feeble rock-stars with an episode of "The Osbournes". Here, armageddon seems to represent the ultimate in reality entertainment - the hyper-real destruction of the human race. When you've exhausted all forms of prurient entertainment in the so-called "developed world", what could be more satisfying than witnessing mass annihilation? Don't take my word for it, read these lyrics. "We've always wondered. I'm sick of wondering. I want to live to see what armageddon brings... / I say we do it / let's stop waving swords / let's get them bloody / let's satisfy the hordes.
The impatient speed-metal guitar battery here is an appropriate medium for delivering this particular message. The chorus is anthemesque, "C'mon! C'mon! Bring on the Apocalypse. C'mon! C'mon! Bring on the Apocalypse!" I shudder to think of President George W. Bush jamming air-guitar to this tune in the oval office.
5. Mastermind - And as for the Vice President, these lyrics... "...arranging all the pieces in a line / I'm closing in on what is mine / I put the plans into motion / I am the worst of my kind / I'm staying one step ahead / I am the mastermind". Another chill up my spine.
6. Days of Destruction - A grunts theme if ever there were one, "Days of Destruction" reveals the role conflicts and quagmires of conscience suffered by those who kill for us in the name of.... well, whatever. Forge reminds us that in wartime, "The first lesson you learn is that no one's hands are clean", and "in these days of destruction / we all become the monsters...in childrens dreams". Poignant resignation wins out in the end while, "Forever searching, to find our lost humanity."
7. 6.6.44 - At first I thought this title might be some esoteric bible reference to armageddon, then I realized it's actually a date. June 6th, 1944. D-Day. Even WWII veterans and The Great Generation haven't been forgotten here. Lyrics include graphic descriptions of terrors on French beach-front property. Can't get a picture in your head? Watch the first ten minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" and blast it out simultaneously with this tune in the background. Incoming!
8. Secret Mines - Not sure what the message is here (asian child wage slavery if I had to guess) but the bully chorus chanting "Become - ONE OF US!" aroused an urge in me for repeated air-fisting. Workers of the world, UNITE!
9. Parade of the Forgotten - The excellent lyrics here of a veteran's lament would have been much better served with a march, a ballad or anything with a slower, more deliberate tempo. Ironically, the song loses emotional punch with the battery of driving guitar and drums. Even the title suggests a more introspective tempo. Great lyrics, but the wrong music.
10. Stickman - Ok, we've reached the point of departure on this record, where themes are abandoned and lyrics become completely unintelligible: "The little crimes slip by / liquid loyalties re-incise / and reaching for the feed / they unearth a hidden greed". Huh???? Translation: The CAT ate the BAT / on the welcome MAT / got really FAT / and wore an ugly HAT. Forced rhymes really hurt. Great music, crappy lyrics. Very thin, kinda like a stick-man.
11. Defenseless - Great punk-metal mayhem with spastic drumming on this one. Forge reminds us in the lyric that all is illusory, transitory, temporary and not at all what you'd hoped it would be. Mortality's a bitch but at least sometimes the music is really, really good.
12. Departure - Not a drastic departure, but closer to screaming death-metal. The cryptic lyrics could be about the transmigration of the soul from birth to death and birth again with an awakening to self-realization - or it could just be about some really cool spaceship that can take you throughout the universe without ever leaving its parking space (ever see the movie "Contact?"). Who the hell knows. Forge delivers the power to move, but the trip you take is entirely up to you.
- Mitch Phillips
Be sure to visit: http://www.staticrecords.com and http://www.forgemusic.com