I love bands that demonstrate a clever sense of humor in their album/song titles. I have an initial positive vibe for what I'm going to hear as long as the inner part does not turn out to be - only - funny (that's what criteria a poor editor will have when he grows up listening - at least - once a month for the last fifteen years to the hyper-legendary Speak English Or Die bible...).
I know nothing about this band, so let's look at GZR's CV together. Let's see... Blah., blah, blah... OOPPSSS! I had this suspicion reading the band's name: GZR is similar to G//Z/R; means it's the band/project of Geezer Butler! I shall remind you that the legendary bassist had released the Plastic Planet album in 1995 under the G//Z/R moniker, while he continued with the Black Silence CD in 1997, an album released simply as Geezer. In 2005, Black Sabbath's most occult figure joins forces with the same musicians that contributed to the Plastic Planet debut; the same lineup carried on with Black Science, ommiting Chad Smith - behind the kit was none other than Dean Castronovo (Journey, Bad English, Wild Dogs and some other 500 bands...). Ohmwork stands for homework in some British accent (I guess). Now you wanna know what kind of songs there are...?
Recorded at Shock City Music Works and produced by Butler himself, this effort - don't know who's aware of the other two prementioned releases - is everything a from-fifteen-to-twentyfive young man/woman living in England could await/hope for. Ten tracks of pure modern/Nu Metal (as established through the British Press) that are clearly in the vein of contemporary bands like Linking Park, System Of A Down and the whole gang. You know the recipe: some brutality in vocals, enough distortion on the bass, sharp repeated chords etc. I can easily sum it up here, no other data will be necessary.
I don't like Ohmwork at all. Not only because I'm not fond of this specific musical style, but - mainly - because this kind of work has nothing to offer to friends of music; leaving behind the fact that such a monstrous name doesn't deserve such a downfall. You can't teach an old dog new tricks...
- Album Highlights: How this review started - ended...