Subsonic

Super-Vel (Outlaw Entertainment)
by Scott Hefflon

Subsonic is the brainchild of ex-Celtic Frost guitarist Ron Marks, and it’s a schizophrenic collage of thoughts and styles crammed together with bar-band production and some creative studio tricks. Marks, as the bio proudly states, is a third-generation musician, and a diverse one at that. And while I’ll listen to Super Vel over solo outings by Nikki Sixx or Mike Tramp, these late ’80s rockers/metal dudes really need to focus on something and stop trying to show how diverse they are, maaan. The hot rod influence is cool, and all the tribal percussion would be cool for fans of early Sepultura or (ex-Slayer/Grip Inc.) Dave Lombardo’s artier side, but most of the songs themselves kinda bite. And the ballads, I mean, c’mon now… “Taste,” “New Age Freak of Nature,” “Be Your Sky,” and “Sun/Cloud Mix” are all pretty rock-heavy (think under-produced nü metal groove with more Celtic Frostian riffs), but the singing is amateur and, well, they kinda sound like Vanity/Nemesis ideas that were discarded for good reason and not really, ya know, fleshed out. Hang out with Devin Townsend for a day, be humbled, and try again.
(www.outlawentertainment.com)