Despite the moderate success of the 1996 single ‘Guilty’, Gravity Kills has yet to make a splash compared to other contemporary metal/industrial acts such as Godsmack, Filter, or Stabbing Westward. Perhaps it was the band’s overt admiration for Trent Reznor and company’s music that caused the backlash of comparisons and accusations of unoriginality. While Superstarved might possess similar tones as the groups’ previous two records, Gravity Kills seems to have finally broken away from the obvious and expected to create guitar driven sound.
Superstarved is the first disc in four years from the St. Louis quartet and their debut for Sanctuary Records. Despite the fact that their latest outing remains digital editing and program heavy, Matt Dudeenhofer’s stellar guitar riffs are the focal point of the CD. What is more, the angst-ridden and volatile vocals of Jeff Scheel are as intense as ever as he ranges from haunting whispers to shrilling screams. The first track, ‘Love, Sex and Money’ has the pop sensibility of Marilyn Manson’s ‘Beautiful People’; as does the cut ‘Fifteen Minutes’. The reworking of Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus’ is perhaps the most unforgettable song on the album, as Gravity Kills interjects acoustic guitar and a skipping sample that may cause one to examine the disc for scratches; an amusing but slightly annoying programming prank. Relying more on lyrical content, impenetrable bass line, ponderous drumming and shrilling guitar work than programming, ‘One Thing’ is closer to 21st century heavy metal than industrial.
Gravity Kills might just find a wider audience with the new record if Sanctuary Records provides the well deserved backing for this recording; something TVT Records never did. From the opening to the final track, Superstarved never loses momentum or drifts from format and is an impressive third release that deserves acknowledgment.