When the first ADM album, Total Brutal, hit the streets in July 08 I thought: “Damn, this is hilarious, I’m totally diggin’ this, but: This will probably hold true only for this album”. Normally bands based on parody dies out, and is kept as pet side projects. Thus they tend to put out one very good album, and another very lame one. The joke is done.

I have to admit that I was wrong. Completely wrong as a matter of fact. Sometimes it’s good to be wrong.

Once again all lyrics are inspired by the dramatic work of legendary action giant Arnold Schwarzenegger. Listening to Total Brutal, I noticed that the epic citations weren’t the canonical ones you normally come across when making fun of the Gorvernator. There were no song entitled “Hasta la vista baby” or “I’ll be back”. That is also the case on Double Brutal, the latest ear-ripping epos of the duo, though Arnold aficionados will recognize (and laugh their asses of because of) titles like “Let Off Some Steam Bennett” and “Come On, Do It, Come On, Come On, Kill Me, Do It Know”. ADM has a thing for long titles. Total Brutal beat the record (I believe) with the track “I Am a Cybernetic Organism, Living Tissue Over (Metal) Endoskeleton”...

Between the songs are sound sketches and these are fun too! Not only do they make fun of Arnold (or “Ahhhnold”, as ADM prefers to spell it). They are roasting the metal scene with a love and irony that can only grow in true metalheads. Hail to that!

ADM is almost the sole work As I Lay Dying leadsinger Tim Lambesis, and one can only imagine that it was created as the antithesis of his primary band. ADM is everything that AILD is not. The music is heavily thrash-based, but contains remnants of Californian death and metalcore as well. Tim plays just about every instrument himself. The vocals of Ahhhnold are delivered by Chad Ackerman. As a bonus ADM has a lot of guest guitarists to do solo-work. Double Brutal is gifted by, among other people, Chris Storey (All Shall Perish), Rocky Gray (Living Sacrifice) and Buz McGrath (Unearth). All together a potent combo, “potent” being the single most descriptive term of everything ADM touches.

Disc Two – oh yes, one is not enough – contains something quite original. ADM covers songs from other bands, still with Ahhhnold as a (very) active participant. This is perhaps the best disc of the set. Right now I can’t think of anything more brutal than Terminator singing Motörheads “Iron Fist”! These covers are simply great! They add new ideas to well-known songs (and some less known as well), and the musical quality – and recording – is extremely high.

I recommend this to anyone. The only thing required to enjoy Double Brutal is a healthy sense of humor!