Downset – Maintain Review

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This album reminds me the time Groove Metal was called Funk’O’Metal. I really don’t know if my dear fan knows that Groove Metal was once referred to as Funk’o’Metal, but it’s the pure truth. It’s not that I didn’t notice the difference among bands as Faith No More and Red Hot Chili Peppers, both called Funk’O’Metal, or bands as Sepultura and Pantera, both called Groove Metal. There are differences and they’re  not that slight or occasional. Maybe, just maybe there was a subgenre change of heart from the pioneers to the later. I see Faith No More more of a mix of non-Metal influences that in the late 1980 and early 1990s were kind of news. To me they’re not a Metal band. Nor are Red Hot Chili Peppers. Of course, with Sepultura and Pantera things are very different.

My intent when the initial moments of “Maintain” started was to turn it down and get another band. However, as I always say, I give bands their share of a fair chance. So, I kept it on the player until I noticed something that brought up my attention. Unfortunatelly, I couldn’t tell what it was at first. There was that punk attitude. That ‘I don’t care’ vibe. It was just after some time that I realized that the feeling I had came from the resemblance with Beastie Boys. Yeah, Beastie Boys. The pioneers of that insane mix of Metal, Punk, and Funk. Downset remember me a lot of them.

Album opener and tittle track “Maintain” has such a fiercy guitar. It’s possible to watch all the wrath sweat out of the player. The mean bass lines are also a punch in the stomach. The track is full of rage and anger. So, vocals were the first hint I had about Beastie Boys influences into their music. But it wasn’t there I got it. It took some more tracks as “Blackest Of Days” with the same anger and wrath and vocals to make me realize the resemblance. Maybe “Won’t Forget” is the track with the most Funk’O’Metal taste due to the bass lines and the vocals. It’s no coincidence that it reminds a little the good old times pf Red Hot Chili Peppers. By the way, the bass is a highlight in the album. Not only the overtones but also the way it’s played. It’s way beyond the standard Metal basses. For real.

Downset “Maintain” was released on June 17th via Nuclear Blast Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Maintain
  2. Blackest of Days
  3. New Respect
  4. Won’t Forget
  5. Wreck It
  6. On Lock (Only the Defest)
  7. The Place to Be
  8. Your Power
  9. Postive Mind
  10. Hear Me Now
  11. Deeper
  12. Ready for This

Watch “The Place to Be” official video here: