TWELVE FOOT NINJA - SILENT MACHINE (Album Review)

Sunday, September 15 2013 22:31

TWELVE FOOT NINJA - SILENT MACHINE (Album Review)

Written by James Zahn

Released elsewhere in the World nearly a year ago, SILENT MACHINE, the full-length debut from Australia's TWELVE FOOT NINJA has quietly been available via iTunes in the 'States despite having no "official" U.S. release. That changes on October 1, when SILENT MACHINE gets a physical release in the United States (complete with a pair of acoustic bonus tracks) and the band hits the road with PERIPHERY, BORN OF OSIRIS, and DEAD LETTER CIRCUS. Having had the original digital version of the album here at Rock Father HQ for quite awhile, I feel like I've been holding out by not sharing some words on it yet. Why, you ask? Because, I have experienced the SILENT MACHINE, and oh, what a glorious machine it is...

12footninja The immediate appeal is the apparent influence of FAITH NO MORE and MR. BUNGLE, which I know has been pointed out by countless online web jockeys before me, but is just so bold that if ever denied, I'd say the band is lying. In many ways, TWELVE FOOT NINJA picks up the torch for a style of genre-bending sonics that bands like TUB RING, DOG FASHION DISCO, and LOSTPROPHETS once carried before them, to varying degrees of success.

Here, it just clicks. Or as my wife says, "There you go again with another band playing weird circus music."

TWELVE FOOT NINJA is just fantastic - their heavy, guitar-driven metal seamlessly woven into an aural canvas peppered with elements of funk, jazz, reggae, and pure, unadulterated, badassness, carried by melodic vocals and epic choruses.

And my four-year-old daughter loves them, too. I'd give you a few standout tracks, but in that case I'd just be posting the entire tracklisting. Yes, one 2013's greatest albums was actually released in 2012.

The Rock Father Rating: 5/5 Stars

Published in Music Reviews

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James Zahn

James Zahn is best-known as The Rock Father™, a media personality, commentator, adventurer and raconteur. In January, 2019, after nearly a decade as Publisher of The Rock Father Magazine, he joined Adventure Publishing Group as Senior Editor of The Toy Book—the leading trade publication for the toy industry since 1984, as well as The Pop Insider—a destination for all things pop culture. He is also editor of The Toy Report, a weekly newsletter published by The Toy Book each Thursday. Zahn has over 25 years of experience in the entertainment, retail and publishing industries.

He regularly serves as a Brand Ambassador and spokesperson for several Globally-recognized pop culture and lifestyle brands in addition to consulting for a number of toy manufacturers.

Creatively, James has directed/edited music videos, lyric videos, and album trailers for bands such as FEAR FACTORY, has appeared as an actor in feature films and commercials, written comic books, and performed in bands. He currently serves as an artist manager and video director for PRODUCT OF HATE, whose debut album was released by Napalm Records in 2016, distributed by ADA/Warner Music in the U.S. with Universal Music handling global. A new album has been completed and is set for release this year.

James and/or his work have been featured in/on CNN, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, WGN, G4, The Chicago Tribune, BusinessWire, Babble, Fangoria, Starlog and more. He's appeared as a music expert on CNN's AC360 alongside Anderson Cooper, and has been interviewed by Larry King. In the past he served as a writer for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family and PBS KIDS, penned articles for Sprout and PopSugar, and was a contributor to Chicago Parent.

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