Master Boot Record - Floppy Disk Overdrive (2020)

Unleashing a very refined futuristic release, today we have Italy’s one-man band Master Boot Record and their latest release “Floppy Disk Overdrive”. Besides the massive geekiness of the band’s name, concept and the album’s song names, this instrumental release is quite enjoyable and engaging. With the current state of affairs in the world, it is refreshing to be able to escape into a dystopian world with the songs in this release.

Opening with the Blade Runner-esque “ANSI.SYS”, the mood is set to be a very dynamic and engaging one. For those that are not followers of Video Game Metal/Nintendocore, bands like Vomitron and others have been releasing similar 8-bit/MIDI inspired music, but Master Boot Record takes it to a whole new level with additional influences and a bigger and more bombastic theatrical vibe, as shown in songs like “EDIT.COM”, “DEFRAG.EXE” and “DISPLAY.SIS”.

For those of us that want to be immersed into a Mega-man like world, tracks like “FDISK.EXE” and “CHKDSK.EXE” create very unique melodies perfectly paired with heavy distorted guitars and crafty programmed drums. Other songs like “RAMDRIVE.SYS” and “DBLSPACE.EXE” have a more electronic edge to them, as the dramatic drops lead into heavy riffs and atmospheric passages.

The keyboard/synth ‘solos’ are brilliant in songs like “SMARTDRV.EXE” and “EMM386.EXE”, giving that virtuosity impression that bands like DragonForce showcase in their music. As you could have expected, there are plenty of things to geek out in this release, on top of the killer and very well crafted music. Master Boot Record is a very unique artist that creates its own world in “Floppy Disk Overdrive” making it quite hard to come out of it as a listener, in a good way.

Label: Metal Blade Records

Release: February 7th, 2020

Genre: Industrial/Electronic Metal

Country: Italy