Boiler is a group that revels in the fact they are difficult to
\ncategorize. One minute, they sound like Rage Against The Machine,
\nthe next minute, they’re pumping out some pretty chunky metal. For
\nthe casual listener, the combination might seem to be too much to
\ntake.<\/p>\n
Ah, but that’s the case only if you stop while reading the bio.
\nIn fact, Boiler’s debut release,
\nThe New Professionals<\/i> (I’m truncating the title), is pretty
\ndamn good, putting forth what could be the next voice in heavy
\nmetal.<\/p>\n
Oh, it’s a bit difficult, at first. On the opening track
\n“Superseed,” it’s very difficult to decipher bassist\/vocalist Will
\nPrice, because he’s so far buried in the mix. Fortunately, this is
\nan isolated incident; the remainder of the album is both heavy and
\ncatchy, something I’ve not been able to say about many heavy metal
\nalbums – even the ones I love.<\/p>\n
Guitarist Marc Mays uses his instrument to its limits, squeezing
\ncrunchy riff after crunchy riff out of his axe without submitting
\nto flashy solos. In this case, Mays’s style works the best; I don’t
\nthink
\nThe New Professionals<\/i> would have been as successful had
\nthere been stylish solos on this one. Drummer J. Harman knows how
\nto work his kit, and does so masterfully. And Price weighs in on
\nthe positive side with solid vocals\/grunts\/screams (knowing when to
\nuse each style) and a solid bass backbone.<\/p>\n
And despite a subtitle talking about “Industrial Slammination
\nAnd Groovitude,”
\nThe New Professionals<\/i> is neither trip hop, industrial, nor
\ngroove rock – never mind the fact the songs all have a particular
\nheavy groove to them. No, this is an animal all its own – and we
\nshould be thankful that Boiler decided to not follow any of the
\nthree previously named musical paths. By gleaming a little off the
\ntop of each of them and paving a fourth road – that of ass-kickin’
\nmetal with a somewhat funky side – they succeed on their own terms,
\nnot off of the success of others.<\/p>\n
Songs like “Defleshed,” “Frontin'” and “Tapeworm” all show that
\nBoiler is most definitely a force that, if given the correct
\nbreaks, we’ll have to deal with. But therein lies the problem, and
\nit’s not Boiler’s fault: Who will give
\nThe New Professionals<\/i> a fair shake on the radio?<\/p>\n
Alternative rock? Why not? They helped make Rage Against The
\nMachine a success; why shouldn’t they give some of the tracks on
\nThe New Professionals<\/i> a fair spin? Hard rock “specialty”
\nshows? Again, why not? You’ve polluted the airwaves long enough
\nwith the new Metallica; how’s about showing people what it’s like
\nto rock out again? Album rock? Hey, why not? (It sure would wake
\nsome people up!)<\/p>\n
The only weakness that Boiler needs to overcome is the rare
\ninstance where Price’s vocals are buried in the mix – well, they
\nalso need to drop the damned stupid habit of burying a song 30
\nminutes after the final listed track ends. (It’s a good song – why
\nput a half hour of silence in between the tracks, for Jah’s sake? I
\nswear, I’m going to kill whoever started this trend.)<\/p>\n
Interesting to note that Boiler is a band with a sense of humor
\n– from the drawings of industrial accidents in the CD booklet to a
\ntaped phone conversation complaining about a contract – all because
\nsomeone’s name is misspelled.<\/p>\n
\nThe New Professionals<\/i> is a disc that became a pleasant
\nsurprise when I popped it into the CD player – and if there is
\njustice in this world, Boiler will be given a fair shot to succeed
\ncourtesy of radio and the industry. Take a chance: pick this one
\nup, and just let it rip. You won’t regret it.<\/p>\n
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