MACH II

MACH II is a new Cleveland, Ohio band that plays a blend of hard rock and NWOBHM. So far, so good, right? And I'm including Cleveland and Ohio in the "good" since numerous great, often-underappreciated rock/metal bands have come out of both the city and the state. But I'll not bore you with additional praise for the Midwestern heart of the rust belt. Secondly, MACH II features members of SOULLESS, MIDNIGHT, and BOULDER. So you know that the chances of this self-titled debut sucking are pretty slim. And suck it does not.

It's nothing that you haven't heard in one form or another, which should be obvious by the aforementioned descriptors "hard rock" and "NWOBHM." And if you're a fan gonzo riffage, high voltage soloing, and choruses that you can actual remember five minutes after you've heard 'em, then why in the world would you care about originality anyway? MACH II's bread is a meaty hook and its butter is a big ass guitar.

Sure enough, each of the eight studio recordings remind either of a mixture of various 70s hard rock acts or NWOBHM groups, and usually it's both. One moment you'll hear something that brings to mind the early strut and bulging bass lines of KISS ("Whiskey Lady Love"),the next a dash of the harder end of LYNYRD SKYNYRD (parts of "Lies You Tell"),and the next a little fuzz tone TED NUGENT, circa '76 ("Living for Tomorrow") followed by vintage THIN LIZZY yet never is it only one band that comes to mind and often it is merely a segment, tone, or pattern. As far as comparisons to new bands with a vintage heavy metal bent are concerned, ZUUL is one that comes to mind along the way, while a song like "Midnight Teaser" is closer to an act like CAULDRON, albeit with a tougher vocal approach.

The only part that really matters though is the good singin' and good playin' that GRAND FUNK RAILROAD was talking about, both qualities apparent on MACH II's first shot across the bow. The three bonus live tracks ("Living for Tomorrow", "Young Beast", and "Stay Loud") recorded at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland in 2009 offer good sound quality and energetic performance, which is especially impressive considering it was the group's first gig. The town may not be set ablaze with MACH II (yet…),but that doesn't make the fireworks display any less enjoyable. This is a band to watch.