Master Boot Record
Hardwarez
Release Date: October 11th 2024
Master Boor Record’s Hardwarez will
Sprinting along the Y axis, I leap across a pixelized chasm.
Narrowly escaping oblivion, flames of a great beast’s breath singe the edge of my priceless cloak. In my ears, a song named ‘’BIOS’’ is play
ing. It fuels my advance.
Or was this just me listening to Master Boot Record’s 2024 release, Hardwarez? The opening track, CONFIG.SYS, is a galloping track that has you on your merry way to slay the cyberpunk Dracula of Tokyo in the year 2099.
Listening to this album is a voyage of epic proportions. A melodic masterpiece, it’s pure power metal candy dunked in electronic sprinkles. Also, it’s doused in sweet, neo-classical inspired guitar work.
Brilliantly composed, it’s a perfect blend between neo-classical guitar inspirations, heavy, running riffs and darker, electronic foundations. It all comes together to create the immersive audio environment Master Boot Record is infamous for.
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Every track on this album feels like the electronic component it’s named after; overall, I’d say there’s a tangible link between the tracks or at least a semblance of order to the sequence.
The first 3 tracks are exercises in fast paced, zelda-meets-modern-day-mega-man, instrumental storytelling.
BIOS is a perfect introductory track. It sets the tone for the abstract story we can imagine occurring within a PC. The following piecer, entitled MOBO, is a space opera void battle with thousands of ships clashing at high speed. Following this monstrous battle where millions perish in the silent vacuum of space, comes CPU. I really feel like these 3 first tracks are linked. They serve to open us up to the heavy, adventure packed experience of Hardwarez.
Then, our beloved component known as the GPU, is pushed into place. This is the fourth track, and it’s installation into the overall machine comes with a change of pace. Slowing the story down, it settles us down for some character development. We reminisce about how things were before the intergalactic tyrant took control so suddenly. Where did we go wrong?
Up next at number 5, is RAM. It continues with the moody waves of GPU, yet it also serves to get us back on our feet. It’s time to rejoin the effort to overthrow the evil empire. Power metal infused beats are re-introduced. Our guitar porn melodies are brought back to the mix.
FDD, despite being the album’s longest track at 7:11, does not make it anywhere near my favorite. It’s a bit too lengthy my taste.
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Moving on, I think PSU is one of the more memorable moments of the album. I really like the symphonic inspirations on this one. It’s a dramatic piece that feels like a confrontation between 2 opposing forces. It’s an ”Luke, I am your father” kind of moment. I can feel the power pulsing through the conduits of the power supply as I listen to it.
Closing it all up, is of course, the CASE. It’s an elegant track that picks and chooses from the album’s palette of sounds. It showcases how this entire work is a creative blend between industrial, electronic sounds for which I am too uneducated to name, and amazing, melodic guitar work.
Hardwarez was released on Metal Blade Records in 2024.
It’s pretty darn good.
For Fans Of: building computers, neo-classical metal, industrial metal, using your imagination
Track Listing:
1.BIOS
2.MOBO
3.CPU
4.GPU
5.RAM
6.FDD
7.HDD
8.PSU
9.CASE
