ION – Gross National Product

 ION - Gross National Product

ION, Gross National Product

 ION’s latest demo, Gross National Product, rocks dangerously
close to being too hard, but never goes over that edge. The eight tracks on
this CD sound best with the volume turned all the way up. Our poor tinny little
computer speaker woofer barely survived the experience. That, of course, is
what was intended. These songs blast out hard and furious and tight, exactly
like the band plays them live. We’ve commonly wondered why bands write deep
meaningful lyrics to a song and then intentionally mix the songs such that the
bass or guitars completely drown out the vocals. The boys in ION must have been
thinking the same thing, because while the guitar and bass and drums are loud
and in your face, you can still make out the words. The electronic highlights
in the mix add something else a little different than the usual loud metal crap
we hear so much of. This is intelligent, well performed, well written metal.
It’s got all the intensity and rebellion of rock, all the volume of metal, thought
provoking lyrics and a very well planned approach to performance without overdoing
any of it.
If you like it hard and loud, buy this CD.