NATURE G – Stereotyping

With an odd but refreshing mixture of mainstream Industrial Metal, Electronica, and guitar driven Hard Rock, Stereotyping is just the kind of release that the collapse of the old music industry makes possible. With no clear genre available for this album, we can just call it ‘eclectic’ and leave it at that. Certainly, this album will require listeners to have an open mind and leave their genre elitism at the door, but they will be well rewarded for doing so. This 11 track solo release features mostly mid to up-tempo songs well delivered by Nature G himself, in a vocal style that sounds a bit like a less-belligerent Dave Mustaine. Occasional use of heavy vocal processing rears its ugly head and serves as an unwelcome sonic distraction, but fortunately for the listeners with more traditional taste, those effects are used sparingly.

With a few exceptions, most of the songs are short and straight forward. The majority of the tracks clock in at under three minutes, and Nature G seems to have completely avoided long-winded intros and interludes. In some ways, the refreshing and oddly blended nature of Stereotyping seems like it would have lent itself to longer songs, but despite this the album doesn’t feel like its missing anything.

An unfortunate downside to the album is the production. It’s not bad, but the mix seems to be lacking in the lower frequencies, and had this been more present, the tracks may have come through with a greater sense of power and impact.

Highlights are the opening track “Stereotyping”, and “King Of Manipulation”. Also, the closing track, “Captain Flint”, is a surprisingly pleasant ballad and offers a nice change of pace as well as a glimpse into Nature G’s more diverse vocal abilities.