Review: Irritant - Good Evening from the Machine

Label: self-released

Released: 2007

I first heard of Irritant at Rock of Ages. I was expecting Good Evening from the Machine to be a bit heavier, but it turns out to be more on the hard rock side of metal. It took a couple listens to adjust, but once beyond my preconception, I found the album to hold quite a bit of promise.

The songwriting on this four song EP isn't earth-shaking, but it is solid hard rock with a fair amount of complexity that approaches prog. Irritant's strength lies in their two-guitar attack. Will and Jack's guitar melodies are both the best written and best played element of Irritant's music. At their best, they hint at Iron Maiden and at their worst they still give purpose to their two-pronged approach. The vocals are adequate, but lack the dynamics required to be integral. Rather than a strong hard rock voice, Niall seems to have taken some influence from the thinner, whiny approach of emo, only occasionally having real power. Still, his voice is good overall and may become a strength if used properly. The result isn't bad, just lacking the punch needed to match the guitars. The rhythm section provides a mundane backdrop for the music and never really gets into the driver's seat, but that's no more the fault of the band than it is tied to the album's glaring weakness, the production. The sound is crisp, but especially in light of the guitar work, this album should pack a lot of punch and it doesn't. The sound is too thin and that keeps the album's hidden thunder at bay.

Keep in mind that this is a young band with members in their late teens and early 20s and the only logical conclusion is that Irritant has a lot of potential. Not many young bands write with this level of complexity and even fewer have a single guitarist at this level, let alone two. Still, they need to figure out how to better use Niall's voice. Better production and more interesting rhythms would also drive the songs better, allowing those guitars to shine even more. While this album is short of amazing, it may set the stage for amazing things to come.

Rating: 5/10

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