Knoxville metal artists, 10 Years, have just released their fifth studio album, “Minus The Machine.” The record is aptly titled as it is their first release on their own label, Palehorse Records, as they have parted ways after many years with Universal. The band has also taken over production duties and was able to approach this album in a completely different way.
The freedom of being independent from a major label has allowed them to experiment creatively and without boundaries resulting in their strongest album yet. “Minus The Machine” is definitely the heaviest record 10 Years has ever done, and yet it is also the softest. Lyrically they go deeper and darker than ever before. The title track starts things out heavy as they voice their disapproval of corporate greed and control. “Backlash,” the first single, starts out soft but quickly packs a punch and has a catchy chorus which will be a crowd pleaser. The best of the harder tracks is the brutal, “Knives.” With searing guitars and pummeling bass and drums, “Knives” builds and builds the intensity until the climactic chorus and the screams of “Wake up!”
Then there is the softer side of “Minus The Machine.” “Forever Fields (Sowing Season)” features beautiful piano with the haunting voice of frontman Jesse Hasek singing of despair and the hopelessness of life. “Birth-Death” is an instrumental, complete with cello that serves as an intro to the final track of the album, “…And All the Other Colors.” This track is the hidden jewel of the album. The introspective lyrics speak of leaving the past behind and leading to the divine. Jesse’s vocals provide an almost cathartic release to everything that has come before.
Independent of the Machine, 10 Years has shown a new level of maturity and growth that has put them, artistically, at the top of their game.
