When the first
ADM album, Total Brutal, hit the streets in July 08 I thought: “Damn, this is
hilarious, I’m totally diggin’ this, but: This will probably hold true only for
this album”. Normally bands based on parody dies out, and is kept as pet side
projects. Thus they tend to put out one very good album, and another very lame
one. The joke is done.
I have to
admit that I was wrong. Completely wrong as a matter of fact. Sometimes it’s
good to be wrong.
Once again all
lyrics are inspired by the dramatic work of legendary action giant Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Listening to Total Brutal, I noticed that the epic citations
weren’t the canonical ones you normally come across when making fun of the
Gorvernator. There were no song entitled “Hasta la vista baby” or “I’ll be
back”. That is also the case on Double Brutal, the latest ear-ripping epos of
the duo, though Arnold aficionados will recognize (and laugh their asses of
because of) titles like “Let Off Some Steam Bennett” and “Come On, Do It, Come
On, Come On, Kill Me, Do It Know”. ADM has a thing for long titles. Total Brutal
beat the record (I believe) with the track “I
Am a Cybernetic Organism, Living Tissue Over (Metal) Endoskeleton”...
Between the songs
are sound sketches and these are fun too! Not only do they make fun of Arnold
(or “Ahhhnold”, as ADM prefers to spell it). They are roasting the metal scene
with a love and irony that can only grow in true metalheads. Hail to that!
ADM is almost the
sole work As I Lay Dying leadsinger Tim Lambesis, and one can only imagine that
it was created as the antithesis of his primary band. ADM is everything that
AILD is not. The music is heavily thrash-based, but contains remnants of
Californian death and metalcore as well. Tim plays just about every instrument
himself. The vocals of Ahhhnold are delivered by Chad Ackerman. As a bonus ADM
has a lot of guest guitarists to do solo-work. Double Brutal is gifted by, among
other people, Chris Storey (All Shall Perish), Rocky Gray (Living Sacrifice) and
Buz McGrath (Unearth). All together a potent combo, “potent” being the single
most descriptive term of everything ADM touches.
Disc Two – oh
yes, one is not enough – contains something quite original. ADM covers songs
from other bands, still with Ahhhnold as a (very) active participant. This is
perhaps the best disc of the set. Right now I can’t think of anything more
brutal than Terminator singing Motörheads “Iron Fist”! These covers are simply
great! They add new ideas to well-known songs (and some less known as well), and
the musical quality – and recording – is extremely high.
I recommend this
to anyone. The only thing required to enjoy Double Brutal is a healthy sense of
humor!
