• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

April 2024

• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
• Praying Mantis: Defiance
• King Zebra: Between The Shadows
• About Us: Take A Piece
• Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories

March 2024

• Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
• Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
• The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
• Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
• Lipz: Changing The Melody
• The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
• Stargate: Escaping The Illusion
• Turbulence: Binary Dream
• Sonata Arctica: Clear Cold Beyond
• D'Luna: Monster
• Big Big Train: The Likes Of Us
• Benjamin Croft: We Are Here To Help

February 2024

• Traveler: Prequel To Madness
• Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
• Honeymoon Suite: Alive
• Durbin: Screaming Steel
• Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
• Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
• Striker: Ultrapower
• Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
• Robert Hart: Circus Life

January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
• Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
• Grand: Second To None
• Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
• The Rods: Rattle The Cage
• Gotus: Gotus
• Metalite: Expedition One
• Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
• Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
• The Grandmaster: Black Sun

[ More Music Reviews ]

Hidden Amongst Us: The Machine

Alternative/Heavy Metal

3.5/5.0

Website Facebook Twitter ReverbNation
Independent/Unsigned
by Craig Hartranft,  02.27.2012

Hidden Amongst Us is the ressurection, a reconciliation of members so to say, of a band once dissolved. A band with such promise that Sharon Osbourne, who had to cancel a showcase appointment with them, invited them to tour with Ozzy on the East Coast, several ago. Brent Pettersson (v), Michael Grgas (g), Ken Colosa (b) are the rediscovered band of brothers, and The Machine is their debut disc.

Above, Hidden Amongst Us: a polyptych band portrait, very artsy.

The musical foundations and overtones of Hidden Amongst Us are self-evident. Not the least of which is a heavy nod to Ozzy Sabbath and generally all things heavy, and essentially on Salvation.

But HUA also leverages some more modern angles, and you might hear Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and maybe a touch of NIN. Their music is modern metal but without the coarse harshness of something infected with hardcore riffs or vocals. It's better on The World Outside is Gone, not such much on the grating Rake. Mostly the music, like the suffering and stirring dystopian lyrics, has a dense and disconsolate feeling to it. Listening Godtrip, a piece which sounds heavy metal static, with exception of spicy guitar licks, could be gloomy stoner stuff.

Perhaps novel to HUA are the lead vocals. Pettersson has that rare quality of sounding like somebody you know, yet being wholly himself. At times he reminds of Osbourne himself, but most times not. He can be at once engaging, lifting a song, as on the title track, and then simply ordinary, even a whiner, as on Godtrip.

Fundamentally, Hidden Amongst Us is on to something very good with the modern alt metal sounds of The Machine: original, maybe; clever and interesting, no doubt. Considering the fickleness of the music industry, perhaps even their gods can be those of second chances. Recommended.

More Ways to Share This Review

Fundamentally, Hidden Amongst Us is on to something very good with the modern alt metal sounds of The Machine: original, maybe; clever and interesting, no doubt.

Alphabetical Index

Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]