The Switch to Turn Off Mankind

Audiopain is a band that hasn't really released any full-lengths as far as I'm concerned, but was around for several years and their two main points of their discography may be called mini-albums. And yes, this time I'm writing a review to balance out the previous one. The 34% rating for The Switch to Turn Off Mankind has been a travesty for a long time. Recycled riffs, annoying vocals and shitty production? I wholly disagree on every account.

The production complaint I will dismiss wholesale. But let's dwell on the vocals. To me they are similar to Razor's singer on Shotgun Justice. Extremely raspy. A bit monotonous, maybe, but at the same time managing to convey a sense of desperation. Almost as if the singer finds himself on a path straight to...

Yes, hell. "Hellbound" is the opening song. The lyrics concern the various feelings before a military battle where one faces certain death. (Are they soldiers, though? Mabye gang members? The opening scene of Gangs of New York?) Not only does the singer shriek that "we are hellbound", but the band drags the listener along at bullet-train speed. Try playing along to this song, it's a blast. The riffs and chord progression might be somewhat standard for darker thrash. Is written in the A key instead of E or drop D, though. That's already one step up the originality ladder right there.

And from there it branches out. The rest of this record borrows willingly from progressive thrash. Most notably, Audiopain try to deviate from the constant 4/4, 4/4, 4/4 bars. 2/4 bars are used in the chorus and post-chorus of "Termination Fields". At other times notes are dragged out into the next bar, messing with our sonic perception. Another token of variance is the extra 4/4 bar in the verse of "The Switch to Turn Off Mankind". At the same time this is far from progressive thrash as such, as the tempo and drive is maintained throughout. Who can listen to the main riff of "Cobra Dance" and not headbang?

For a thrash album dealing with destruction I would have preferred a more cartoonish cover instead of the black metal-inspired one we have here. Also, the album would have been more artistically ambitious if it were longer. But it is one hell of a modern thrash album.

Like a good number of individuals across the globe, I carry a sleep debt larger than Dave Mustaine’s ego due to work, hobbies, and whatever else could restrict the brief hibernation of one’s brain. After it became a problem, I tried to “pay off” the debt by sleeping more, and doing so led me to the ultimate tranquilizer: Audiopain’s “The Switch to Turn off Mankind.” This Norwegian trio’s twenty-six minute slapper presents thrash metal in a watered-down light in which the focus is placed on unintelligent riffs, annoying vocals, and nasty production. Nothing knocks you out faster than boring-as-hell thrash, and any naysayers of such a claim will be singing a different tune upon hearing Audiopain’s tasteless pursuit at one of metal’s top identities.

Collectivity speaking, “The Switch to Turn off Mankind” holds no room for originality, but comes off as a second-rate crack at speedy cacophony with recycled riffs, doltish percussion, and ceaseless repetition patterns. Anyone digging for duds will find the guitars to be covered in common chord progression, identical speed intervals, and predictable tempo changes from beginning to end without any sign of change; this observation also goes for the percussion as it follows all the dumb designs of lacking conglomeration. I’ll be the first to admit there are a few riffs that force you to bang your head like a maniac, and the same goes for a thin sum of ripping solos; however, it’s not like this is a frequent affair. A surprising majority of this record is based solely around generic instrumentation, so expecting a constant onslaught of decency will lead to a fair portion of disappointment if that’s what you’re looking for. Basically, the thrash attack is very typical compared to other releases occupying the same genre, and such a lack of variety in Audiopain’s style is definitely damaging to this run-of-the-mill effort.

The plot to ensure enjoyment is unfortunately foiled by Sverre Dæhli’s strange attempt to add a shriek-laden icing over the thin-layered pastry of boredom, and the taste is anything but sweet. The stuff that emerges from the singer’s larynx is mostly found sleeping with high-volume wails and pestering screams, which certainly does not belong on a record of this nature; now mix it in with the awful production, and you can experience the lameness yourself. Dæhli is, for a lack of a better term, annoying as fuck because of his troll-like tone and squeaky pitch that’ll probably drive you nuts. This guy’s voice is not very appropriate for Audiopain and their take on thrash; he just sounds way too misplaced in nearly all vocal categories.

Excluding the slim amount of guitar magic, there really isn’t anything memorable or enjoyable on Audiopain’s second full-length flop. Sure it’s a thrash CD, but since when is everything under that particular label good? You’re bound to find a few rotten fruits when harvesting, and this is just one of those bad apples that can’t reach mandatory obligations on several important spectrums. Lacking and boring, “The Switch to Turn off Mankind” tosses its burden unto the doomed listener within minutes of the dreaded switch being activated. Mankind will be fine, but your awareness during a circadian rhythm is another story, so just pass this one by unless you REALLY love Audiopain.