You know that there was never a genre of music that was named something along the lines of sarcastic bastard core or something along those lines, but if there ever was, then Drowningman would have been the undisputed kings of just such a genre; Rock ‘N’ Roll Killing Machine (the only album that they released for Revelation) was not only a testament to their penchant for biting sarcasm and social commentary but also perhaps the defining statement that the band delivered to the masses during their tenure as a band.
I am not sure that you can beyond a shadow of a doubt say that on Rock ‘N’ Roll Killing Machine Drowningman completely perfected their sound and modus operandi, but such an argument could certainly be made that they did and that with this their penultimate record, cementing their place in noise-y hardcore / punk / metal / crossover / what have you; the fact that Drowningman gets so little respect for the strength of their music is still completely disheartening at times and makes me think that when the band’s awesomeness is not recognized when songs like “Last Weeks Minutes From The Meeting Of The Secret Society Of Your Friends Who Actually Hate You” (the sharp angular guitar riffing and seemingly relentless attack that turns on a dime to become some of the most melodic sounds that the band ever recorded is mind blowing-ly head spinning) or “The Truly Dangerous Nature Of A Man Who Doesn’t Care If He Lives Or Dies” (the soft almost crooning vocals at the end are like night and die with what might be the heaviest song on the album) or the title track’s excellent melodic chorus and bridge or even the fret board gymnastics of “If God Loves A Winner He’s Going To Want To Fuck Me In A Minute (Born To Break Even). Not a single bad song appears on an album that just attacks you with the sweet and sour sounding compositions that satisfy lovers of heavy and noise-y music as well as those who love a great pop hook, all the while showcasing a technical mastery of their instruments and music that is awe inspiring; Rock ‘N’ Roll Killing Machine is quite simply a raging slab of heavy music with no let up whatsoever.
Rock ‘N’ Roll Killing Machine is almost the perfect mix of caustic and melodic vocals discordant dual guitars that throw out some of the craziest hooks ever and noise-y punk and hardcore songs that are biting while at the same time having these monster melodic hooks that shift into the aural arena seemingly out of nowhere; Drowningman created music that no one did before them nearly as well as they nor has anyone come near to replicating since, and Rock ‘N’ Roll Killing Machine is the album that other bands maybe wish that they made.
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