Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Pleasant Surprise, October 31, 1999
By A Customer
I picked this CD up used and on-the-cheap (sorry Amazon), and I was expecting it to be a solid effort, but I certainly wasn't expecting it to blow me away. But blow me away it did.I've been a Slayer fan since "Reign in Blood" and though I respect Dave Lombardo, I suspected his reputation stemmed from an album that was recorded 13 years ago. Well, I was dead wrong. This is one of the few heavy metal albums on which I think the drummer makes a huge difference and actually elevates the group beyond what it would be without him. It's amazing. What's most impressive about this album is that it's quite diverse. All the songs sound different, and you can tell a lot of thought and care went into composing and recording them. I truly enjoy this CD, and I definitely plan on picking up Grip Inc.'s other two CDs shortly.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The return of Dave Lombardo., December 13, 1998
By A Customer
Dave Lombardo is the best drummer in the world. BAR NONE!! His band Grip Inc. delivers a powerful line up of what you would expect from the former Slayer timekeeper: Heavy,thrashing guitar by Waldemar Sorychta,great bass playing by Jason Viebrooks,and an aggressive voice behind singer/lyric writer Gus Chambers. In this 1995 debut, it shows a total team effort by each member and a classy, unselfish approach by Lombardo as just a band member,not the leader or the boss. POWER OF INNER STRENGTH is an extremly heavy album with tons of double bass booms,tom rolls and crashing cymbols,(Lombardo has never lost a step). Powerful,serious lyrics about political corruption,poverty,and the tragedy of war makes this disc a must for a metal fan with a mature,serious mind. "Ostracized" is great,a stance against people who make people down on their luck feel inferior. My favorite is "Heretic War Chant" a jam and a half about the monstosities of war leaves in its wake,(Lombardo at his best). This disc is a drummer's delight as well as a textbook. Great disc and you won't regret buying it.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly stupendous metal., October 12, 2006
After drummer Dave Lombardo got fired from Slayer in 1992, he would end up hooking up in 1993 with guitarist Waldemar Sorychta who was wanting to put together a band with vocalist Gus Chambers. Waldemar felt that Dave got a raw deal with what happened with his dismissal from Slayer and decided to design their new band as a vehicle of sorts for Dave's considerable and legendary drum talent.
And so, Grip Inc.'s 1995 debut "Power of Inner Strength" was born.
To put it bluntly, this album completely beats Slayer at their own game in some ways in comparison to what Slayer was doing from 1994 to 2001.
There is more variety here and Dave is given much more of an oppurtunity to stretch out with his drumming. The 1st track actually is a multitracked percussion showcase for Dave Lombardo that really sets the tone for what's to come.
Also in compaison to Slayer, the songwriting is much stronger and more nuanced. This also has a lot to do with the guitar and vocal work which is most excellent. Gus Chambers has quite a venomous vocal style that in some ways can bee seen as kind of similar to Testament's Chuck Billy, but with much better range & dynamics.
The band isn't afraid to slow down and sometimes breaks out acoustic stuff as well when they need to.
While there are a couple of songs that have kind of a thrash element, this is much more mid paced type metal of a most excellent variety.
Grip Inc. would put out 3 more albums to date that have seen them somehow get even better.
Any fan of Dave Lombardo or just great, well written and smart metal would do wise to pick this up.
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