| Artist |
| Zeromancer |
| Title |
| The Death Of Romance |
| Format/Cat |
| CD |
| Label |
| Trisol |
| Style |
| Pop Metal |
| Date of review |
| 6th June 2010 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7/10 |
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I know that, to anyone who claims to be 'metal' being described or even linked in any way to emo is reason enough to issue a fatwah on whoever uttered the dreaded words but I still can't listen to Zeromancer without thinking of My Chemical Romance or something similar. All the ingredients are there, rock with a poppy edge, some pretty gritty guitar riffs, it must be said & emotive vocals sung in a very clean fashion that is sure to appeal to any teenage girl who fancies herself as being a little alternative prior to graduating on to the heavier rock styles. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that, of course, it's a formula that has served them well in the past & does so again here with the opening double header of 'Industrypeople' & 'The Hate Alphabet' kicking the album off in a nicely dynamic style that is sure to please their fans with a mix of gritty & infectious guitar riffs & more melodic elements, a formula that later makes its mark once more during 'Murder Sound', 'Plinth' & the closing 'V'. Overall, there's less of the invention that marked the previous album Sinners International which is a shame as, after a while, the whole album starts to feel a little samey. Having said that, it's impossible not to prick up your ears to the soaring riffs that add a nice feeling of gravitas to the stately title track, a feeling that is further deepened by the deep bass work that adds further muscle to this fine piece. Similarly, 'The Pygmalion Effect' sets a darker mood with some effective guitar noodling being contrasted nicely by the soaring chorus (I wonder what George Bernard Shaw would have made of this!!) while 'Revengefuck' at least matches its title by being the hardest track on the album with its grinding guitar & flowing chorus creating a mood that's verging on the pompous (this is a good thing, by the way!) while the ambient elements that grace 'Mint' sees the band at their best, elevating the music away from the usual format & creating a mood that stays with you for a long time, far more than any of the other tracks certainly. Overall, though, Zeromancer's music is just to polished to really grab me but, if you're a fan then this is certain to keep you happy.
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