James Murphy
Feeding the Machine

THE REVIEW

James's credentials speak for themselves: Death, Obituary, Testament, Cancer, Disincarnate, Konkhra, are some of the bands where you can find the violent and virtuosic sound of his guitar. A reserved artist, always understated but fundamental to Heavy Metal in recent decades.

I own a good portion of his discography, and I've never found a smiling image of him in the album's inner photos. Absolute seriousness and dedication towards Metal; he has also recorded a couple of solo works where he manages to give his best, without constraints, without barriers and obstacles, without setting limits for himself. A free spirit; a Lord of the six strings from my point of view.

Feeding The Machine was released in 1998 and consists of ten tracks; five are sung by a series of guests with equally important credentials, and five are instrumentals where James showcases his enormous technique, his creativity. He is accompanied by Steve DiGiorgio on bass (and we're talking stratospheric levels here) and Deen Castronovo on drums (another "element" with an infinite musical background).

Impeccable production with a single flaw: everything is aimed at highlighting James's never-resting guitar, to the detriment particularly of the bass, which in many parts of the work is "covered" and overshadowed by the incessant work of the six-string. Aside from the final instrumental, which doesn't reach four minutes, all tracks settle on a duration between five and seven minutes; consequently, the listening can be challenging, especially for those who are not familiar with or know little about the former Death guitarist's imposing performance.

Chuck Billy, the vocal powerhouse of Testament, lends his dark vocal tones in "No One Can Tell You": Hard & Heavy unite, clash, creating a dark, direct, hyper-violent sonic wall. It's James's guitar, with an impressive series of riffs, that holds the reins of the long track, which personally is my favorite of the bunch. There's also room for an Al Di Meola cover: the jazzy "Race With Devil On Spanish Highway," which is a heartfelt and refined homage to certain sounds so distant from Metal. And here Steve's acrobatic technique on the bass is finally exalted!!

This is James Murphy, a tremendous musician and producer.

Diabolos Rising 666.