MNEMIC 'Sons of the System' (Nuclear Blast) RATING: 7.5/10

By JEFF MAKI

A decaying industrial world set in a future where machines and government have formed an alliance to enslave man. Smog and steam fill polluted city streets now hiding in the shadows of a once prosperous world. Sound like Blade Runner? The Terminator? Hosts of other sci-fi films depicting an apocalyptic future? This is the vision and feel the listener gets from Mnemic’s Sons of the System.

Mnemic (pronounced nem-ik, an acronym for Mainly Neurotic Energy Modifying Instant Creation) is often compared to the polyrhythmic, machine-like sounds of Messuggah or the industrialized metal of Fear Factory. Mnemic is very much a futuristic hybrid band that continues to tread in this familiar Nothing-Demanufacture space on Sons of the System. Yet it seems that this time around, they’ve infused more melody and accessibility than on their first albums. Vocalist Guillaume Bideau is largely responsible for this. He’s very much the metal frontman of the present and future, effectively transitioning from forceful screams and melodic singing on each track. His monotone delivery is fitting for the band's machine-like rhythms.

The Fear Factory and Meshuggah comparisons are actually spot-on. But maybe it’s another comparison that may have some metalheads shaking their heads. Is it just me or does Bideau’s singing here, especially on “Diesel Uterus” and “Mnightmare,” sound oddly similar to Chester Bennington of Linkin Park? That said, those are two standouts of the album. “Diesel Uterus” has a killer mechanized groove, while “Mnightmare” has one of the most memorable melodies and choruses of the album.

The album runs from slower, mid-paced grooves to a steady double-bass roll, but never reaches blastbeats or grindcore levels—Mnemic relies more on groove for the heavier parts. None of this is a bad thing whatsoever. Sons of the System lays out a cold and empty feel, representing the future world I described above. The industrialized element is something that’s disappeared since the early ‘90s, and Mnemic is one of the few waking it from deep space sleep. OK, so maybe Sons of the System is not the future of metal as we know it, but for Mnemic that bleak future is now.