Review of And Utero Dominae - Bleeding Machines

Now here’s a pretty solid little demo offering of industrialized thrash from upstarts And Utero Dominae. Unfortunately, there’s just ten minutes of material served up, but the good news is that two of the album’s three tracks are available for download from the band’s website. I often find industrial metal somewhat lacking, in that it seems that bands often lean too far toward one element or the other. In general, industrial bands with metal overtones usually work better for me than metal bands that incorporate electronic elements. And Utero Dominae is an exception to that, and stand as a distinctly metal band able to get maximum mileage of both styles.

Taking cues from usual suspects like Ministry and Fear Factory, And Utero Dominae hammer out energetic cyber-thrash and tense slower melodies contrasted with groove-laden seething rhythms. The band crushes out of the gate with the breakneck aggro hammering of "Bleeding Machines", easily the most single minded, unrelenting track of the three. The buoyant, repetitive grooving riffing is punctuated sharply by Justin Brink’s drum work, which alternates between following the riffs and providing pulverizing, metronomic snare-abuse. The following two tracks exhibit a bit more diversity. "The Agony Disease" picks up where the high powered title track left off, but midway through transitions to a slower groove based on a more dynamic riff and distorted, echoing snarls from band mastermind Sam Geiger, which when delivered a couple words at a time, are reminiscent of the Ministry classic "Thieves". Closer "The Agony Disease" establishes a tight mechanical, rolling groove with guitars and bass drum, while the slower accompaniment from the cymbal work, vocals, and guitar melodies between verses give the track a scathing, molten tone.

Bleeding Machines, even at only ten-minutes long, contains more depth and variety than I initially expected, and repeated listens have only proven to reinforce the album’s hooks, ferocity, and nuance. This bodes well for the band’s eventual full-length effort, which will hopefully arrive soon. It will be interesting to see whether And Utero Dominae are capable of maintaining this form over the course of an entire album without dulling the material’s considerable effectiveness.

Release Details

And Utero Dominae

Bleeding Machines

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