You'd better be in the mood for rock-solid rhythm - 'cause that's what the Giz gives.

Their mix of some death and some clean vocals is far from unique - but the mixture of those death metal shrieks and a very clean rhythm section - with almost no distortion on the insistent, repeated power chords - now that is unusual. You won't find any of the normal extreme metal chord sequences here. It's all strong, simple, very clean riffs - with a simple, interesting lead guitar occasionally floating over the top. The extreme vocals aren't too bad either, more of a muted shriek than a growl, and the one third-or-so of the singing that is clean is delivered in mid-range, two- and three-part choruses that tread firmly into the turf of power metal.

The dual guitars work well together even though there aren't any complex guitar duals to be found. This music is all about those riffs and the vocals and the band itself describes it as "brutal and beautiful". That description fits many modern not-quite-extreme metal acts - and it's well applied here.

Based in Orange County, new York, the core of Gizmachi met in high school and the band has been building up to its present status for 6 years. A chance meeting with Shawn Crahan, a member of Slipknot led to the band being signed to Big Orange Clown Records, and to Crahan producing the CD. This was his first outing as a producer and the exercise was clearly a success. The 8 songs on The Imbuing last 46 minutes for an average of 5 minutes a piece, and they include the band's first single / video track "The Answer".

The 8-minute "Voice of Sanity" sees the band breaking the mould for a long middle section. After the 2:50 mark there's an ethnic percussion with a soft, high-pitched multi-part chorus over the top, occasional vocal whispers, and deep, resonant, melodic bass notes holding it all together. It sound almost like world-music, and this 2-minute break showcases a musical capability and flexibility that isn't seen anywhere else on the record. Gizmachi would do well to break the mold more often - they do it well, and it would add a whole new dimension to music that is very good, but in which most songs sound essentially the same.

Producer and Slipknot member Shawn Crahan makes an interesting and important point about this CD, saying that Gizmachi's music: "...encourages me because it's not designed around anger or hate like a lot of other bands ... that's why I'm in!" And that is what might attract you to The Imbuing.

The standout tracks for me were instantly "The Answer", and "Bloodwine" for the melody they chose to mix with the track. "Romantic Devastation" begins with a progressive run that would impress any fan of technical playing but the rest of that track is only ok if you asked me. The rest of the CD is a mix of the two styles but has a lot of similarities to the other tracks. This is no means a bad thing for a debut release for there is always room to grow and expand. Yet there are folks who demand this style above all else.

The people who dig the Slipknot sound might enjoy this a little more since it has a connection to the Slipknot guy, however it stands the risk of falling to the wayside if some more of the strong points they have demonstrated are not focused on in future music. The industry seems to be making room once again for power house singing and musical composition and only a select few in the growler metal style stand to remain standing should this regain dominance in the market. Audience listeners today do not seem to focus as much hard core dedication on bands as they used to and interest is definitely fleeting in a lot of cases. I feel Gizmachi has the potential to surpass some of their peers, so lets see what comes out from them next.