Coming out in the early '90s alongside
Helmet and Quicksand,
Orange 9mm amounted to the third, smallest jewel in New York's '90s metallic hardcore crown. Compared to the band's major label debut,
Driver Not Included,
Tragic -- the group's second (and final) release on Atlantic Records -- contains smaller amounts of vocalist/rapper Chaka Malik's aggro rhyming and a little more melody to satisfactory results. The minor hit "Failure" encapsulates the band's subtle shift toward a more focused brand of still malicious rap-metal. With all their hip-hop proclivities and groove-centric riffs, listeners might assume that the group was trying to cop an East Coast
Rage Against the Machine vibe. That would be an incorrect assumption, as
Orange 9mm's
Tragic is actually a little funkier than the efforts of
Tom Morello and his leftist homeboys. Fans are more likely to be reminded of funkier Angelinos
Red Hot Chili Peppers (a much heavier version that is) when bassist Taylor McLam puts his thumbprint on slap-happy numbers like "7." The thick instrumentation and fat grooves deliver on every promise made during
Orange 9mm's famously powerful live performances, but the adherence to of-the-moment metal sonics prevent
Tragic from transcending its time. Strange production tricks (especially some thick vocal distortion) manage to limit heavy outbursts like "Tragic" and "Fire in the Hole," giving them a distinct mid-'90s effect that sounds unnecessary and dated. Malik was more than capable of generating his own intensity without adding once-stylish distortion to his spitfire delivery.
Tragic remains a solid offering for fans of a small but important '90s metal movement. The results are convoluted and excessive. ~ Vincent Jeffries