Customer Reviews

Driver Not Included

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you didnt get the chance to catch this band live on the warp tour around 96, you missed out. This band made a massive buzz on their live show playing this material and to this day i belive it was one of the top 2-3 performances ive seen by any band. This and the first Deftone album were a tremendous one two punch for hardcore fans in those days.

Anyone remotely into hardcore music should have this album in their collection. Its a jaw dropping album that is stellar from the first track to the last.

Sadly this band peaked and fell with this first album. The band made drastic member changes and were never the same. Ive wondered what happend to the guitarist and bassist after this album since they laid some fat blood pumping music, that was severly lacking from everything O9mm did from this point on. Chaka's lyrics and delivery could only carry the band so far, and frankly without the quality music behind him they just fell off the map as soon as they arrived.

But if you want to go back to 96-97 and hear one of hardcores best efforts, this is for you.

A must have for fans of heavy music.

When I first bought this CD, I didn't listen to it all that much. Like a lot of people, I sort of set it aside and only listened to it about twice in a month. But then, it grew on me. I found that I was sticking it in my CD player more and more, and that each time I listened to it, it was almost a completely improved album. Initially, "Suspect" was my favorite song on the album, then "High Speed Changer," then "Thickest Glass," then "Pissed", which I now rate as my favorite song ever. Even the album art is entertaining; the fact that they decided to asterisk the "Driver" on the front and put "not included" on the back is possibly one of the most clever things ever done with an album.

Moral of the story: Buy this album, listen to it again and again until you realize how tremendously great it is.

Excellent album for anyone who enjoys fast, incredibly heavy, adrenaline pumping tracks. This one is a little more raw than "tragic" - just as a point of reference, if you've heard that album. If you've never heard O9Mm before and you're an honest metalhead - not a "Hairband" groupie - then you really need to hear this album (as well as anything put out by these guys).

Definitely check out track 2. It has a hook to it that'll turn you inside out. All of their albums have the same "my head's going to explode because I turned the radio up so loud because these guys are so awesome" groove - but you really need to hear the entire songs to get an honest feel for the album - enjoy.

1 Glistening 2:32
2 High Speed Changer 2:53
3 Disclaimer 2:34
4 Suspect 3:57
Mixed By - Don Fury
5 Pissed 3:04
6 Toilet 2:19
7 Magnet 3:09
Mixed By - Dave Jerden
8 Guyatone 3:35
9 Thickest Glass 3:02
10 Can't Decide 3:15
Mixed By - Dave Jerden
11 Sacrifice 4:27
12 Cutting And Draining 3:27

This album has got so much raw power and energy!More than any other of their E.P's or albums! I know alot of people aren't going to agree with my definition of the band or album. But, I really think it sounds like the bastard child of Quicksand and Rage Against The Machine! Both of which are really good bands. I would like to see Chaka and Zach go toe to toe in some fisticuffs! That would be cool! Who would win?

Rap metal was good depending on who did it. The good bands who did it were Rage Against The Machine, Faith No More, One Minute Silence, Anthrax, Body Count and, definitely, Orange 9mm. (Korn is a band that I somewhat like, but they are NOT rap metal.) Anyways, Orange 9mm mixes the rap metal styles of Faith No More with the post-hardcore tunage of Quicksand, so you know this is going to be good. "High Speed Charger" gets everything going and is one of my favorite tracks, along with the other tracks, but my favorite is "Sacrifice", with the kick ass bass line. A good thing about old-school rap metal and funk metal is that they have some of the best bassists. (Korn's bassist kicks ass too.) You need to buy this lost gem now!

Just check out the guitar hook in High Speed Changer between the verse and the chorus to see what I mean. What seems to be a cookie-cutter rap/metal excursion suddenly shifts into an armor piercing riff accompanied by a thunderous tribal sounding beat. The solo in Can't Describe, in which a sqealing guitar wail drowns out the background sound, is another prime illustration of the band's unpredictable explosiveness. While Tragic (an equally great record) ventured off more into the rap/metal territory, Driver* is more of a traditional hardcore punk record. It's Chaka Malik's angry vocals and the group's aforementioned unpredictability and volatility that truly make this disc a winner.

orange 9mm was the first ever hardcore band that i listened to, and i must admit that after i bought their cd, i stuck it in a corner and didn't listen to it for about six months. when i finally, on a whimsy, did return to listen to it, i was shocked. before it had seemed to be loud guitars, a screaming singer, and strange beats. and now it still is all of those things, except that there is more of a structure to it. it's great music.

If you can listen to this and remain seated, you've expired. This rocks HARD. Usually fast and unrelenting, but slows down in parts to give the exhausted listener a break. Not heavy metal (but if you like metal I can practically guarantee you'll like this), but very hard rock, and in your face. The drumming is stellar - the beat throws you to your feet desperate for something to run into (or not). Everybody does a good job on their instruments, and the lyrics are quite good. But very little lead guitar, O9mm sticks to pulverizing rhythms. A "strong buy" recommendation. Very busy, very powerful.

Shame on anyone who didnt catch this one years back! I heard of them from a friend when they put out thier first ep. This album along with the first Deftones and 1st Korn gave rise to the new meatl/hardcore scene as we know it. I dare you not to get up and groove when hearing this! Their sound is perfect and relentless and Chaka's mix of rap/spoken word vocals are fierce! In a way it was a good thing they broke up when they did. This CD has become an instant classic, pick it up!!