Unitron
Out of all the members's of Pantera's work after the band broke up, vocalist Phil Anselmo has probably been the most overall solid and creative in making himself stand out without being known as "that guy from Pantera" that the others have become. While Vinnie Paul is just drumming in the generic groove metal band of HellYeah, Anselmo has recently came back full swing onto the scene delivering not only the first Superjoint Ritual album in a long while, but also a new black metal project.
Caught Up in the Gears of Application, the third studio album from Superjoint Ritual (Now known as simply Superjoint, due to copyright issues), is the first studio album from the band in thirteen years! Despite having a long wait, Caught Up in the Gears of Application starts right where the previous offering left off. As in, a delicious mix of sludge metal, thrash, hardcore punk, and some groovy riffing thrown in. This is an album that never lets up, constantly pummeling the listener with crushing riff after crushing riff.
Phil Anselmo's vocals are absolutely monstrous, sounding as pissed off as ever with perhaps his best vocal performance since Far Beyond Driven. In today's internet culture there's a lot to be pissed off about, and this album speaks in volumes on that front. One listen to the masterpiece, "Burning the Blanket", and the sludgy and groovy dirge will blast in your ears with lyrics that are all too true. "Clickbait" is self-explanatory, being another crushing sludge hammer with lyricism that you can probably guess from the title.
This is a real solid album, with ever song packing just about the same punch as the last. If I had to choose highlights, I'd probably say "Burning the Blanket", "Mutts Bite Too", and the title track are among the stand outs. If you're looking for some chaotic and brutal sludge, look no further. Superjoint's got you covered. Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!