Customer Reviews

Solidify

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of those bands that's underrated but probably have a huge following. All three of their albums are solid, heavy, and original. This is also the type of band that will stay the course and put out great metal without pressure to sound radio friendly. After listening to Grip Inc, it's truly sickening to hear what my local radio stations call metal- a bunch of whiney poor me types who won't or can't even muster up a good guitar solo once in a while.

Coming from varrious musical and cultural backgrounds to form a cohesive musical unit, Grip Inc. solidifies in a multi-continentinal configeration of grappling, yet technical metal two years after releasing their thrashing sophmore release, Nemisis. Three "solo" albums into his post-Slayer career, Girp Inc. founder and percussionist Dave Lombardo continues to broaden his musical horizons while still maintaining the blinding speed and consistency that earned him his place in the hearts of the percussive arts community. The basic elements of his one-of-a-kind double bass style are, of course, the groundwork on which Grip Inc. as been built. Add in his background in noise and avant garde (with Mike Patton/Fantomas) and his newfound experience in classical and Lombardo's musical range begins to truly shine forth. Grip Inc. however transcends being a drummer's pre-mature ejactulation, combining traditional elements of thrash and death metal into a semi-melodic scheme of complexity. Gus Chambers gruff vocal approach offers another driving force for the quartet, belting out pungent, yet simplist lyrics agains the fretboard onslaught of guitarist and producer Waldemar Sorychta and bassist Jason Viebrooks. The highlight of the eleven song endevour is the guitar and drum duet "Bug Juice." The album's closing track features flaminco inspired guitar paired with Lombardo's singular perscision, speed and finesse that unequivically matches or supasses the fretwork of axe-slinger Sorychta. The quartet incorperate a solid technical approach to metal, gripping all of the vital aspects to achieve respect and even acclaim in the aggressive music community. Grip Inc.'s seizmic approach on Solidify binds the aggression together proving that the third time is truly a charm.

The first song I've listened to of this album was "Amped" from a compilation album...And i thought that it would be a great album. But I knew that I had to the whole CD to make an opinion. And now that I've listened to "Solidify" and I must say that my opinion is totally different than the other reviewers. I think it's nice to have different opinions :) ...

First of all, the artworks are really poor. A photo of the band on the cover, and the rest of the album lacks of drawings, photos or images of any kind. Only white typo with a black background. Remember the great artwork and design that "Nemesis" has. Ok, maybe this is not so important, so let's talk about the music. Basically, I find this album some kind of boring. I mean, the album lacks of the ideas that made "Nemesis" a winner in the comparison...The songs have the same recipe, and structure, and have no rhythms or melodies. It sounds powerful, I admit that, but, it's too chaotic; where did the melodies and rhythms go?!?! I was expecting the melodies of "Rusty Nail", the speed of "War Between One". At least the rhythm of "Portrait of Henry", or "Pathetic Liar". But this album sounds not so trashy, sounds more like if it has new and modern influences. I have to admit that "Solidify" has some good songs, that lift the album up. Those are "Amped", "Bug Juice" (a great intrumental with spanish and flamenco touches) and "Human?" (a cool atmospheric ballad)...If I was disappointed?!?! Mmmm, I don't know...It's ok, but It needs some variations. All the songs sound alike to me...

Well, I stay with "Nemesis", or their debut album "Power Of Inner Strentgh", but hey, that's me...

Grip Inc its a great group in the trash metal scene. Well i have to say that their previous albums and especially Nemesis were much better then this one, but its also another good album. You may want to hear it sometimes before you like it as i did. I recommend this album to anyone who likes metal.

Solidify is quite simply one of the best metal statements ever released that most people have probably never heard.

Dave Lombardo and crew here craft a modern metal masterpiece that sees the band striking out even more than they had on their previous 2 albums.

One thing I noticed about this album is that the bass playing is improved on this album. To the best of my knowledge, the 1st 2 albums were mainly the guitarist doing the bass work in the studio. But on Solidify, they actually had a regular bass player on this album and it makes a big difference.

The album as a whole sees Grip Inc moving on with their multifaceted thrash style. But there is even more stylistic variety on here than before.

The best example of this is the final track, Bug Juice, which is an instrumental flamenco type number with acoustic guitars and Dave Lombardo doing some of the most amazing and jaw dropping drum work I've ever heard, metal or otherwise.

Simply put, if you love great music and especially have a soft spot for great metal, pick up this CD.

Amazing guitar work, venomous but expressive vocals (actual singing!) and that patented Lombardo drum work make this a no brainer for anyone wanting to hear metal the way it should be done and could be done by more people if they would put their minds to it.

Essential stuff!

Much more varied than the previous two albums : Furious thrash tunes ("amped"), groovy mid-tempos ("isolation"), even a tear-jerking ballad ("human")and a stunning instrumental ("bug juice") that proves Lombardo to be one of the best drummers around.
He is backed by Sorychta's original riffs and wailing solos. And former-punk Chambers is as effective with a "clean" voice as with his screaming.


Sorry, my English ain't perfect...

This is an extraordinary band, They are always compared to Slayer for reasons I don't, and have never seen. As far as songwriting and structure Grip is Better than Slayer. Their guitar solos actually fit the songs, not just various random notes lightning vomited from a guitar like Slayer's solos. Grip Inc. are very very good at what they do. And the same can be said of Solidify. This although not as fast or angry as their first two albums, Solidify is a much more complete one. One of the problems with the previous two was that after a while they got kind of boring because many of the songs sounded similar. Yet on Solidify there is an INCREDIBLE sense of mood and atmosphere althroughout the album layered between pure metal groove. Gus Chambers has great range for a metal singer, Walter's guitars and programming are terrifically original, and of coarse Dave's drumming is top notch. Just listen to Bug Juice if you don't believe he is one of the best drummers around. This is a Heavy album and puts Grip in a rare position. A Metal band that doesn't pretend to be someting it's not.

i sort of happened upon this album a few months ago at the record store. i read that dave lombardo of slayer/testament/fantomas was drumming for them, so that excited me right off the bat, he is one of my favorite drummers. i was very pleased with my purchase of solidify. through and through this is a very tasty, classy metal album. classic riff after classic riff. it only gets better with each listen. lombardo is amazing on the tubes. track 2 gives you the feeling of triggered drums, but they are not triggered, dave is just a madman behind the kit.
in my opinion this is a very underrated album. ill still be listening to this one 20 years from now. its a classic. go pick it up.

Grip Inc. may be a new band compared to Metallica or Rob Zombie, but their music has just as much potency. Solidify is a great album from start to finish. Most of the songs on it are harsh and angry, just like any good metal album...but they have also included some slower, more laid back songs as well to balance things out. The whole CD has a well produced and quality sound to it. If you like the recent albums from bands like Metallica, Rob Zombie, Coal Chamber, and Powerman 5000, you should definetly check out Grip Inc.'s Solidify. Anyone searching for a dose of quality heavy metal will not be disappointed.

i hope dave lombardo and co. come out with their senior album. their music hits and bites hard