Grip Inc.
Solidify

Disappointing album from the Californian band.
Likely due to the change of bassist (out with Viebrooks, in with Carruthers), Grip Inc. doesn't fully maintain their post-thrash sound. Seeking new sounds, the band gets lost in boring atmospheres that make you lose the desire to listen to the album.

Compared to the two previous albums, which were definitely more powerful, "Solidify" shows a significant change in the band's style, attempting to "water down" the tracks. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for them. Imagination is totally lacking and the boredom, after a couple of listens, turns into anger, enough to make you want to take the CD and smash it with your hands!

The sound leans heavily toward nu-metal, with tracks reminiscent of the Deftones. Besides a few real metal riffs scattered here and there in the tracks, there are only three episodes worthy of the thrash metal name: the title track "Isolation" and "Stresscase" have power to spare, "Verrater" might be likable, but it's too little for a band formed by the "monster" Dave Lombardo.
The performance of the Slayer drummer is the only positive note of the album. In fact, the drumming gives meaning to many songs, unleashing the "driving" force present in any respectable thrash metal album.
The vocalist, Gus Chambers, drags through the entire album with a TRULY DREADFUL voice. The choruses in the refrains are very reminiscent of those from the poorer epic metal bands, though sung with enough anger.

The genre reported by the band in previous works is specifically classified as ultra-post-thrash metal. But here, there's little thrash, little metal, and a lot of post! The result is a very atmospheric album that makes the songs (and the listener) very neurotic. Without imagination, you go nowhere...