Review by Michael on April 12, 2002.

As all of you may be aware, Australia is not exactly well known in metal circles for producing quality acts. “But what about ACDC? They Rock!” ..you might ask, I say just keep your mouth shut until I’m finished...
Hailing from my home town of Sydney, New Project are one of the most exciting new bands to hit the Australian, and now the world Industrial Metal seen thanks to a label deal with the UK metal record company Spiky Black Cat Records. Things are looking up for us convicts...

The first thing to pierce your ears is Drew’s vocals, his incredibly harsh but definable vocals are definitely a clear indication that New Project are not vying for any kind of easy listening crown. The lyrics are well thought out and do (for a pleasant change) have direction and meaning. Shying away from the now way too cliché subjects of Religion and Death, New Project are instead taking their stance against the force-fed, media driven society that exists today. Rejecting what they have been exposed to through the media (myself and Metalbite.com exluded of course), New Project are taking self-stength, self-belief and individuality to a new level; pushing large amounts energy unto their unsuspecting audience.

Production wise, this album does slip beneath the surface at times, but like any other young band out there, New Project and producer(s) Epicentre Productions UK have done the best with the money and equipment available. The most noticible flaw in the recording is the low end of the frequency range, or lack of. The songs can sound thin at times due to the lack of dynamics present, not through poor musicianship or songwriting, but simply through the recording techniques used and funding issues. Organic drums as opposed to the drum machines currently used will go a long way to reslove this glitch. I’m sure these minor issues will be resolved in time for New Project’s full-length release due to be recorded in the latter stages of 2002.

As a bonus "Almost Time" contains 5 remixes. These remixes obviousy have been tailored to the Metal club scene where we all love to watch the goth’s dance! The mixes are again let down through lack of bottom end and dynamics, but turning it up very loud can overcome that problem somewhat. Now you all will have a chance to use those little bass boost features on your home stereo’s! The remixes do unfortunately become a little repetitive, but the band cannot be held responsible for this as they were completed and arranged by Epicentre.

Bottom Line: All in all this is a good listen for all of you interested in Industrial Metal. The somewhat untapped potential displayed on "Almost Time" will invariably be unleashed on their upcoming releases. Certainly a band to keep your eyes on.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 5
Musicianship: 5
Atmosphere: 6
Production: 4
Overall: 6

Rating: 5.2 out of 10