BEND
Trying to Find Function
(Self released)
I reviewd another guitar-industrial CD in this issue, and while that other
one was flat and boring, this one is well done. Perhaps this disc
is even over-produced for the genre, but that is what I think makes it
all worthwhile. The guitars fill up lots of space, both in frequency
and left/right spread. Little chopped up segments dart in and out
as added hooks. The vocals are gruff, not whiny. Think along
the lines of Filter (with production kinda like Machines of Loving
Grace), at least for the opening track "Remedy". The other
songs on this 5 song EP make room for quiet tension and moody synth-work
alongside the big buzzy guitars and rock drums. Nicely done.
[Laird Sheldahl]
BEYOND DAWN
Revelry
(Misanthropy records)
This disc was quite a pleasant surprise. Perhaps the word "pleasant"
is misleading, Beyond Dawn are heavy and slow and bleak. I
can think of several reasons why they remind me of the Swans.
First and most obvious is the deep, drawn-out vocalist. He is at
the very least M. Gira-inspired, if not distantly related geneologically.
Two would be the mix of jangly acoustic melodics with slow, monotonous
electric guitar thudding (I'm talking more recent Swans, here).
Beyond
Dawn doesn't go for the same desolate, monotonous feel I love so much
from the Swans, instead they're a bit more heavy-metal rhythm guitar-like.
The third similarity would be the tendency for experimentalism throughout.
While Beyond Dawn don't clutter their CD with random tape loops,
they do manage to get in a lot of cool sampling and effects into their
songs, as well as a good amount of flat horn-work. The horns might
seem a bit out of place at first, but I think the lackadaisical toots fit
in well with the rest of the slow music.
The horns, the samples, the acoustic melodics all provide a very nice
dynamic to the overall heavy-handed and compressed tone of Revelry.
While the vocals and guitars only come in intermittently, the overall feeling
is nonetheless burdened and minimal. If that at all sounds intriguing,
I highly recommend this release.
[Laird Sheldahl]
BORKNAGAR
The Archaic Course
(Century Media)
This is the third outing for this Norwegian bunch and builds even further
on the excellent The Olden Domain. The band’s black/Viking
metal roots are still present, from the relentless speed of some of the
tracks to the folk-driven melodies and rhythms, but the progressive edge
that was creeping in last time around really starts to blossom on The
Archaic Course.
“Universal” is a great example of Borknagar’s strengths
coming into alignment, though this is actually a pretty consistent album
and there isn’t a bad track to be had. New vocalist I.C.S. Vortex
(parents can be so cruel…) fills Garm’s shoes very comfortably,
adding even more clean singing than before. He can still pull out
the black metal screech when needed, though (see “The Black Token”).
Other songs worthy of note are “Nocturnal Vision,” with its folky
feel, and “Ad Noctum,” which features some interesting organ/keyboard
sounds and is (dare I say) kind of catchy.
Something about Borknagar has always reminded me of Voivod.
Part of it is the sound itself, which features odd-ball chords and arrangements,
fueled by pulverizing drums for a wall-of-sound that is as intricate as
it is massive. The other thing about them is their obvious unwillingness
to go along with what the rest of the scene is doing, charting new and
far more interesting territory instead. This is one of those albums
that you have to listen to, it can’t just provide background noise for
other activities.
[Daniel Hinds]
GITANE DEMONE
Life in Death ‘85-’89
(Hollows Hill)
I am so happy this CD has finally come out. When I spoke to Gitane
last July she mentioned this CD to me and I have been waiting patiently
(well, not quite, but I haven’t been harassing the good folk at Triple
X about it every day either).
For those who do not know or have not surmised by the title of the album,
this is a collection of Christian Death songs that featured Gitane
as the main vocalist. For me, this is the only real Christian
Death I need to own. Never a huge fan of either incarnation (although
Rozz over all did better work...Valor did do “This is Heresy”),
I think the band was always at its strongest when Gitane took the
lead. Her dedication inside the CD is beautifully written in the
loving memory of Rozz Williams.
Gitane is the most gifted siren in gothic music (yesterday, today
and tomorrow). Most artists went on to do better projects once leaving
Christian
Death, but with Gitane, it is a very tough call. It’s
hard to dispel these tracks as not being amongst her best, but it is open
for debate. The thing is, unless you own all of the Christian
Death with Gitane, you really need to own this CD.
There is a lot of soul in Gitane’s voice and it loads each and
every song with a wealth of emotion. It begins with three standards:
“Lament,” “Tales of Innocence,” and “Gloomy Sunday.” There
is no real drop in the album, although I must add that “Jesus, Where’s
the Sugar” still remains my favorite all-time Xian Death song.
“This Is Not Blasphemy” is another great song (and one that was completely
new to me. The CD ends with two other sublime tracks performed live:
“Golden
Age” and “Erection.”
[Victor Mejia]
ROKY ERICKSON
Demon Angel a Day and Night with Roky Erickson
(Amsterdamned)
This is a collection of songs that was recorded in Austin by Roky Erikson
on Halloween night, 1984. The production quality of this CD leaves
something to be desired and when mixed with certain songs, it is painful.
This is completely stripped down to just Roky and his guitar and
it would really benefit from some accompaniment. His voice gets really
high and loud and occasionally just over powers the guitar on certain acoustic
numbers.
"Night of the Vampires" is the first song that really struck
me worth recommending. His voice is a little more restrained and
the mix is actually quite effective. The songs that harbor that 70s
feel, such as "Splash #1" tend to be the more effective songs on
the CD. "Cold Night with the Alligators" serves as a great
example of when the whole equation breaks down.
The highlight on the CD is Roky's lyrics. He has a true
poetic command of the language and they offer an insight into the man and
into the universe. "Clear Night For Love" is the one song on the
CD that I feel really lacks the lyrical depth of the rest of the CD.
My favorite track would have to be "Hungry for Your Love #2."
The electric guitar helps out a lot and the song balances all facets well.
This is probably a must for Roky Erikson fans since this is the
first time this CD has been released stateside, but for the rest of you,
proceed with extreme caution.
[Victor Mejia]
EYE + AYA
Aphazia 1992-98
(Self-released)
First off, and band who types their band name in "Zapf Dingbats" should
be flogged. Secondly, are Eye and Aya separate entities?
I don't know. But now that I've said those things, onto the music.
It's like a melody-devoid, sorta-industrial version of Devo (ever
hear Punch Drunk? somewhat similar here). Its fun and
dancy and doesn't fall into the 16th-note bassline boringness nor cookie-monster
vocal stupidity that abounds these days. The rhythms are unique and
interesting, the synth lines bleepy and tweaky, there's lots of Black
Lung-inspired sampling, and the recording quality sucks eggs... which
is really too bad, I really dig Eye + Aya, but they sound
like a bad demo tape on CD. Once they figure out how to get a quality
recording, though, watch out, it should be pretty darned cool. Contact:
eye@canberra.teknet.net.au
[Laird Sheldahl]
GRUDGEHOLDER
Amongst the Wolves
(Vulture)
A 1 1/2 minute recording of some prelude to domestic violence opens this
disc. Then a whole bunch of muted Thrash music follows. When
I say "muted", I mean beyond the deep growly vocals and low-end guitar
work, I mean the recording quality is murky. Its too bad, too, because
I think songs like "Scumbag" not only get pretty close to pure bleakness,
but throw in time changes that flow well and avoid the "OK we're going
to speed up now, are you ready? Oh yeah, we raaawwk!" effect.
It isn't until the bonus track (16) that a melody emerges, but it fades
away Right off, like Grudgeholder wasn't quite sure what to do with
it. And track 17 cleverly hides a song behind 4 minutes of silence.
God I am tired of that "trick". It would have been cool if they were
hiding a disco song or something... heck, that'd be beyond cool.
But, no, it was another standard Thrash tune, and I think the only reason
it was hidden was because they could. Next time, hide a Thrash tune
with a disco backbeat and diva vocals!!
[Laird Sheldahl]
HADES
$avior$elf
(Metal Blade)
I was always a proponent of this unusual, technical speed metal band back
in the 80s. They were good at writing complex pieces, scoffing at
traditional song structuring in the process. When the band morphed
into Non-Fiction, however, the edge was gone and songs became much
simpler, losing most of their appeal.
Well, the band regrouped in the mid-90s and $avior$elf is
a disjointed mixture of Hades and Non-Fiction. Only
the title track displays the intensity of the classic Hades and
a lot of the bass and guitar pyrotechnics are also sadly lacking.
Too often, the band fall more into the Non-Fiction mode, happy to
plod through more mundane, modern-sounding power metal than the quirky
arrangements and speedy riffs that made them unique. The low point
has to be “Fall,” though, a truly uninspired acoustic guitar ballad
that doesn’t even live up to Non-Fiction standard. Sadly,
the band have also foregone the literary aspect of their lyrics in favor
of the conservative political crap that has always downgraded my opinion
of the band a bit. (I’m sure they’ll be the coolest band at the Elizabeth
Dole fundraiser…)
$avior$elf was quite a disappointment for me, as I really
had hoped the band would regain the spirit that energized those first two
albums. Alan Tecchio’s voice is as strong and distinctive
as ever and there are a couple of good tunes, but the majority of this
disc is filler at best and not worthy of the band’s talents.
[Daniel Hinds]
HEDNOIZE
Searching for the End
(TVT/Wax Trax!)
This is probably, at this point, the best electronic/industrial album I
have yet to hear. It combines several different musical elements
to create an altogether unique sound. This is probably a little more
synth pop than many people are willing to listen to; it brings to mind
mid-period Depeche Mode to me musically and vocally. The electronics
are quite a bit darker and more modern sounding, but not to the point of
losing that pop edge.
There are no weak tracks on this CD, while there are several outstanding
ones. "Searching for the End" is filled with hooks that suck
the listener into its vortex. Things pick up with the more harsh
programming of "Devil's Train." The song, "Drain," adds
heavy distorted guitar in the mix and the singing begins to be more and
more reminiscent of the first Stabbing Westward album.
The track "Crazy Boy" provides a bit of an intermission to the
album. It's trippy and sounds like a soundtrack to exploring new
worlds. But the album kicks back in with "My Machine."
It has a sweet rhythm accompanied by driving guitars and is one of the
most effective tracks on the CD.
The CD then mellows a bit with the next two tracks. "Pay Me
No Mind" is the better of the two showcasing the swell programming
Hednoize
is capable of. I guess that experience in Psychosonik paid
off. The album does not close with a bang, but with a whimper on
"The
Road."
[Victor Mejia]
IRON SAVIOR
Unification
(Noise)
Piet Sielck has returned again with another shining example of powerful,
yet melodic speed metal at its finest. Kicking things off with
“Coming Home,” fans of Painkiller-era Priest should
be immediately thrilled. While the songwriting hasn’t changed much
since the debut Iron Savior disc, the production is a little fuller,
giving the band a slightly heavier sound. Piet’s vocals are
as strong as ever, and his rough-edged delivery is a nice change of pace
from the endless stream of smooth, Michael Kiske-esque singers
that gravitate towards this style of metal.
“Starborn” ups the tempo even more, for one of the album’s fiercest
tracks, and is followed by “Deadly Sleep” where we are treated to
some lead vocals from Gamma Ray’s very own Kai Hansen.
“Eye to Eye” is a more straightforward metal track, though it still
features the omnipresent big choruses and mind-bending leads. Kai
returns to the mic again for the grand ballad “Forevermore,” which,
while decent enough, fails to impress the way most of the album does.
To make up for it, though, they immediately launch into a nice, heavy version
of the classic Helloween track “Gorgar” and follow it with
a beautifully rendered cover of Sabbath’s “Neon Knights.”
All in all, this is a very impressive album. I’m not sure I’d
rate it higher than the debut, but it is definitely of the same caliber
and, seeing as how it has a bit more variety, might lend itself more to
repeated listenings. While Helloween and Gamma Ray have
had their fair share of less-than-spectacular releases, Iron Savior
has so far registered a perfect two-for-two track record of hits. Piet
seems to put more emphasis on creating great songs and keeping it heavy
than on experimenting or catering to any trends. Here’s to hoping
he doesn’t change this formula any time soon.
[Daniel Hinds]
IVY
This Is The Day (CDS)
(Sony/550 Music)
This tune is an excellent take on 70s pop/rock, complete with jangly, upbeat
guitar and horns to further brighten the sound. Vocalist Dominique
Durand is the main attraction here, though, adding a wonderfully breezy
air to the cut. Her voice also lends to the sad/happy feeling that
bubbles just below the bright exterior.
The reason I’m reviewing this instead of the full-length album (Apartment
Life) is that, sadly, this was the only real highlight of said
disc. The rest of the album just meanders along in a more melancholic
mood, never hitting on the same formula that makes “This Is The Day”
so
enjoyable.
[Daniel Hinds]
INGER LORRE
Transcendental Medication
(Triple X)
The infamous Inger Lorre is back and she has something really important
to say. Through years of tragedy, Inger has created her own
gospel, and Transcendental Medication is the result of all
of these tribulations she has had to face all of those years. This is a
beautiful collection of songs...not just in the music alone, but because
of the person behind all of it
While her old band, the Nymphs, produced one of my favorite album
of the early 90s, now that she has finally returned to music, she has produced
one of my favorite albums to end the decade with. The first album
seemed to be fueled by driving energy, while this new effort seems to find
it’s base in raw emotion. There is a lot of honesty in this album
and that is what makes it so enormously special.
The CD opens with “She’s Not Her Friend,” a song about her former
nemesis, Courtney Love. The track kicks into gear and is the
song that most closely ties Inger to her former band musically.
That just adds to why it is such a great opening track. It is loud, a bit
grungey and is carried by Inger’s vocal delivery that includes several
well-placed dramatic pauses. Inger has grown nearly as much
as a vocalist as she has as a person--more mature and more in touch with
its self.
The song that hits home to me the most is “Beautiful Dead.” The
song reminds me so much of the Inger I spoke to years ago and sadly, this
still holds true today. “Yard of the Blonde Girls” is probably
my favorite track on the CD. It is a very melancholic song and is
incredibly moving. “Thief Without the Take” is a wonderful
duet with Jeff Buckley. I really hope the fact that he appears
on this album won’t overshadow what Inger has accomplished here though.
And another well-located song is “7B.” It closes Transcendental
Medication on a high note and I think that is what the whole album
is about more than anything. Find peace with the world and more importantly
with herself.
Listening to this album was a religious experience. The retro
feel to some of the songs just adds to the whole spirituality. This
is a definite keeper and if you don’t have it, do yourself a favor.
Buy it!
[Victor Mejia]
MARDUK
Nightwing
(Osmose)
This is (I believe) the fifth full-length studio release by these peace-hating
Swedes and quite an assault it is. After a two-minute tension-building
intro, the band launch full-force into high-speed riff land, where the
first half of the album remains firmly rooted. “Bloodtide (XXX)”
is a great track and a good example of what to expect from Marduk
– hyperspeed black metal with plenty of death influences. The blast-beats
come fast and furious and rarely relent, though when they do, it does well
to further emphasize the speed when they kick back in. “Of Hell’s
Fire” flies by in a similar vein, though is bogged down a bit by the
tedious repetition of the song title towards the end.
After the epic length title track, the band move into chapter II of
the album, a five-song conceptual bit dealing with the real life of Vlad
Tepes Dracula. This half of the album is interesting, as it focuses
more
on slow, heavy riffs, not the usual MO for Marduk. Still,
Legion
delivers his vocals in the same raw, blackened manner and the band arrange
their songs in a similar fashion (i.e. not overly complex, no keyboards
or choirs, etc.) Throughout the album, he band delivers some thoroughly
hypnotic riffs – sometimes captivating, other times a tad boring.
While I can’t say Nightwing has completely won me over,
I am impressed by two things. First of all, Marduk has stuck
to their sound over time, obviously not caring for what is fashionable
or trendy in the marketplace. Secondly, the band has really developed
a sound that walks the fine line between death and black metal with certain
agility. With a solid production somewhere between underground and
refined, Marduk have created the springboard for their next release,
which is promised to be an all-out assault on the senses.
[Daniel Hinds]
NOXIOUS EMOTION
Symbols
(ADSR Musicwerks)
I've been eagerly awaiting Noxious Emotion's new album, and was
very curious as to how it would sound. As you might know, Shane
has left the band, and from talking with he and Mike, Shane was
the one who wanted to push Noxious Emotion in a harder direction.
Mike
I knew was the guy with the 80s synthpop fetish (and Project Pitchfork
fetish to boot).
I wasn't too sure what to make of the first two tracks "Pi" and
"Phi",
but "the Unknown" is totally in tune with Count Zero
era Noxious. It's cold, it has that big boom-tsss drumbeat,
and a really cool, catchy synth riff (ooh, ooh, can I call it an infectious
synth riff?) As the disc continues, though, there is a noticeable
style change.
The boom-tsss drumbeat that has been, while hardly unique, a nevertheless
distinguishing trademark of Noxious Emotion remains throughout the
disc. The burpy, farty synth basslines are pretty much similar as well.
The rest of the synth work, however, makes several forays into the realm
of melody and 80s synthpop hookiness. So I'd say Noxious is now a
synthpop band, and not an EBM band, and the timing is perfect with the
rise in popularity of VNV Nation, Neuroactive, Covenant and the
like. The shouted, growly vocals also remain (there's no attempt
to sound like the Pet Shop Boys or Blacmange in that department),
but the synth work is decidedly synthpop at times. I think that might
annoy some of their harder-minded fans.
Noxious' live show has become, if anything, harder in the past
year or so, mainly due to the addition of several live drummers.
I was actually kinda sad to not hear them on this CD. I guess that
makes us Seattleites lucky. The rest of you, unless you can catch them
on tour, will just get drum-machined percussion.
"Unit" has a really cool, noisy synth line that is more an atonal-hook
than a synthpop-line. "Mass", however, can be described by no words
but synthpop... the bagpipe-like sound could have been a Big Country
sample.
Except there is no sampling here (or at least very little, mainly in the
more experimental short interludes), which is nice. No bad horror-movie
quotes belie their industrial natures.
Lastly, I must comment on how 'cute' the song titles on this disc are.
When "Noxious Emotion" is spelled out in the nearest looking symbols-font
letters, either the name of that letter (phi, pi) or the measure is often
abbreviates (mass, time, entropy) is used as the song title.
I just noticed that. Neat. Bottom line, though, is I like this
disc. Synthpop with a big beat and cold nature. Check out http://www.noxious.com/
for sound files and info on a free tape if you want to hear for yourself.
[Laird Sheldahl]
ORGY
Candyass
(Warner Bros.)
Have you ever been told not to judge a book by its cover? I have
many times and usually I am pleasantly surprised. This was not the case
with Candyass, the debut release from Orgy, an “industrial”
band whom even Steven Siebold of Hate Dept. said were
as bad as Marilyn Manson (possibly worse). Yes dear reader you can
see just where this is going can’t you?
Upon reading over the liner notes looking at the production credits
(production is my new “thing” with bands these days) I noticed that Dave
“Rave” Ogilve of the immortal Skinny Puppy produced this release
so I thought, “Hrmmm possibly could have some potential.” Of course,
I was on the air at the time and decided to “share” what I thought was
going to be a grand find with my beloved listening audience. Oh my was
I wrong! The track I played was their cover of the New Order classic
“Blue
Monday," the only redeeming thing I can say about this track, and it
is the only redeeming thing about this whole album is the fact that some
of the effects put in during post production are “interesting”. But then
again I remember when the original version of this was released so I am
a bit more partial to it.
Orgy seems to be trying to jump on the Industrial bandwagon;
sadly enough, however, it is a train that left last year and anything that
has been a “debut” from anyone has been merely a smudge on the flawlessly
beautiful face of the “masters” of the genre (i.e. Skinny Puppy, Hate
Dept., Front Line Assembly, Front 242, Ministry - Psalm 69
being their last palatable release, and of course Genesis P. Orridge
himself). The masses can have this MTV friendly drivel, let them think
that this is what Industrial and EBM is all about, that just leaves the
better stuff for you and I.
[A. Nocturna]
PAIGE
Domicile
(Sycamore)
Paige seem to inhabit the edge of what is gothic music. The
fringe. Home of performers such as PJ Harvey and others.
Their music is raw and stripped down. I can almost imagine them in
my room playing these songs for me. Very intimate and not trying
to hide anything with their music. The songs match the CD art.
Subdued (restrained & controlled) while being muted and soft.
Most of the music revolves around Marcie’s vocals. Her
voice is the least muted aspect of the music. Raw and emotional with
ups and downs that overshadow the subtlety of the other musicians.
“Mute” is a powerful opening track. It is one of the song
that really goes at the listener in comparison to the slower songs like
“Cafe”.
The song has a feeling of a flower just pass bloom as it begins to wilt
and decay. The sublime beauty in the opening stages of fading into
death.
For me, the album is more effective beginning with the song “Blue”...the
highlight of the album for me. Especially the change-up in the latter
half of the song. Nicely done. I like their incorporation of waltz
rhythms into their songs in the latter half of the CD as well. “Devious”
works it’s way in and out of it (it’s a little fast for a waltz), while
“Crooked” is a beautifully designed waltz..
[Victor Mejia]
PAIN STATION
Disjointed
(COP)
This album reminds me of the latest Opeth disc. Not that they
sound alike in the slightest, but both have been buried in praise by critics
and fans alike and, in both cases, I can't for the life of me see why.
While Opeth fail due to their hugely overwrought arrangements,
Pain
Station suffer at the opposite end of the spectrum. There just
isn't that much of interest going on with most of these songs, relying
heavily on distorted percussion and repetition. This may sound similar
to Sonar, who I raved about last month, but the execution is completely
different. Pain Station uses pretty standard electro/industrial
structures as the foundation, only dressing them up slightly with more
modern tweaks. The supposed 'power electronics' element seems to
have been left out of the final mix, because I sure don't hear it.
The sound is thick and a bit murky, further draining the already somewhat
lethargic compositions. Scott Sturgis (the brain behind PainStation)
is obviously very skilled at manipulating his various machines, but it
isn’t enough to make up for the rather bland lyric and song writing.
Having said all that, there are some definite moments that shine on
Disjointed.
The song "Tourist" is excellent. It shows all the pieces that
tend to work individually on other tracks coalescing into a complete, powerful
track. It's dark and it moves. "Grovel" is another good one,
demonstrating that Scott has the ability to really put together a good
song when he tries. Good chunks of
"Flatline" and "Solitude"
work very well, too, but end up being a little too long to rate as highly.
I’ve listened to this album numerous times, hoping it would reveal some
subtle qualities not initially apparent, but so far no luck. It’s
not a bad album by any means, but it is rather average and nothing we haven’t
seen already. If you are looking for some slow, dark electro ala
Alien
Faktor and have a great deal of patience, Pain Station
might
be just your thing.
[Daniel Hinds]
PENTACLE
…rides the moonstorm
(Damnation)
This trio hail from Holland and this is their full-length follow-up to
The
Fifth Moon EP from a while back. The quick summary of Pentacle’s
sound is classic Celtic Frost with John Tardy-like vocals,
but there is more going on than just retro hero worship.
After a quick sample of Tom G. Warrior from the WWIII festival
back in ’85, the title track kicks in with a vengeance. The band are very
adept at alternating between slow, mid-tempo and speedy riffs to keep things
moving. Combined with the obvious references to the past is a conviction
and tightness that gives Pentacle a fresh, modern sound. Wannes
Gubbels spits out the lyrics in nice, sick death voice that brings
to mind Obituary circa Cause of Death. His other
band (Soulburn) tread some similar territory and fans of either
band should be more than happy to discover the other.
The Frost comparisons come mainly from the awesome guitar sound
and a lot of the riffs, but Pentacle definitely take things up a
notch to give it their own identity. “Veil of Sulphur” for
example breaks into somewhat folky (albeit still brutally heavy) riff at
one point, as does “Raised By Night’s Chaos.” These
touches, along with the general complexity of the material (simple riffs,
intricate arrangements) will keep you hooked in while the band pummel you
with 50 minutes of classic blackened thrash.
Unlike many of critics, I actually love the whole retro movement.
Metal, and especially thrash, from the 80s was a great force in music and
it died out well before its time, so it’s great to hear bands now rekindling
those flames. Pentacle, like Bewitched and Swordmaster,
have done a good job of giving respect to the era without wallowing in
it. They bring the spirit of the music into 1999. …rides
the moonstorm isn’t full of catchy tunes or cutting edge production
techniques, but it is a great slab of death/black/thrash that delivers
and promises even more greatness to come.
[Daniel Hinds]
REHAB CLUB
Mud Children
(Retail Radio)
I didn't expect artsy-fartsy liner notes to accompany this CD of industrial-rock
(emphasis on rock) music. Joe Williams, the singular person
behind the music, takes the time to complain about how he finds his music
imperfect. I'll say. All too quickly the interesting distorted
drums give way to preset-sounding drum machine loops and preset-sounding
big guitar strumming. The NIN influence isn't hidden (that's
nice), especially with the introduction of piano to "Broken Lies"...
that even sounds like a NIN song title fusion, huh?
Anyhow, "Too Many Romantics" leaves out the rock guitars and allows
the sampling to take center stage, but it never makes much of a presence.
Maybe, as the back of the CD suggests, this song is "Weird and beyond most
of you". I can't help but think that these little "here let me help
you interpret my music" notes are offending me and have tainted my reaction
to the music. The quality of their music certainly isn't good enough
to overcome any prejudices I or any other listener would carry, at least.
"Cast
off your spell" has some compelling synth work (it’s the last song,
no less) but it is ultimately spoiled for me by mundane rock'n'roll guitar
posturing. The title "Mud Children" apparently refers to the
disappointment Joe Williams finds in his own music. I might
be more disappointed by my album artwork (see inset), but even so, perhaps
he shouldn't comment on how his own music sounds bad in the liner notes.
Or better yet, put said notes on the album cover and cover-up those ugly
kids.
[Laird Sheldahl]
SMACK
On You
(Amsterdamned)
This CD comes from 1984 and recalls a day when rock'n'roll was still rock'n'roll
and fun to listen to. Smack were a band from Finland who crossed
punk rock with 80s glam metal. The finishing touch: debauchery.
The song "Good Morning Headache" is an example of when this band
were thriving. They pretty much give a don't give a shit attitude
and it makes for a great deal of fun. The music is filled with the
energy that began getting sucked out of rock in the latter half of the
'80s.
A lot of the music is centered around a prowling bassline. Great
examples of this are "Through the Glass" and "Skin Alley."
I think Bang Tango might have caught on to what Smack were
doing and incorporated the same style into their own music. The best
guitar work on the CD shows up in their song "Criminal." "No Peace
on Earth" closes the CD with the mellowest track on the CD and hints
to the direction this band may have gone if they stayed together five more
years.
When Smack is great, it's like some kick-ass party going on between
your ears. Otherwise, they seem to slip into the mundane. The
bonus tracks at the end are some of the more kickin' tracks on the CD.
"Little
Cunt" works when it is speeded up live and the band even shines on
the classic Stooges song "I Wanna Be Your Dog."
[Victor Mejia]
SOLSTICE
New Dark Age
(Misanthropy)
This is the second release from this under-appreciated British outfit.
Their debut, Lamentations, was a bit heavier and more in
the classic ‘doom metal’ vein perhaps, but ultimately, New Dark Age
is the more involving and rewarding release of the two.
After a an intro of ambient waves, “The Sleeping Tyrant” lumbers
forward to establish the band’s trademark sound: heavy, mid-tempo
metal, with an emphasis on melody and powerful, clean vocals that really
gives the music a touch of class. “Cimmerian Codex” is next
and is the real gem on this disc – an epic journey through all things that
make metal so great. Lots of well-thought-out change-ups, heart-felt
vocals and some of the best dark riffing this side of Candlemass.
Not content to get locked into just being a doom metal band, Solstice
take on a more acoustic, folk element later in the album. The instrumental
“The Anguine Rose” heralds the shift, while “Blackthorne” is
centerpiece, based entirely on acoustic guitar and vocals. “The
Keep” is even more minimal, stripped down to the solitary voice over
a billowing wind. Inspiring stuff, indeed, and I almost prefer this
style to the more metal moments, though Solstice do both with grace
and conviction.
This is a long album (9 songs, 66 minutes) and it takes some concentration
to fully get into, but it is definitely worth the effort. Seeing
as how Britain was the birth-place of doom metal (and metal in general,
for that matter, not to mention some great folk music), it’s great to hear
a band emerge with the skills to live up to the greats and offer something
new, too. Don’t know if Candlelight (their former label) just
had lousy publicity or what, but Solstice has achieved a much higher
profile of late and deserve even more.
[Daniel Hinds]
[various artists]
The Absolute Supper (2CD)
(Cold Meat Industry)
This is without a doubt the most impressive label sampler I have seen yet.
Cold
Meat Industry have put together a beautifully packaged, double-CD digipack
collection of songs by all of their well-known acts (and plenty of the
lesser-known ones as well).
In Slaughter Natives start things off with a dark, rhythmic piece
that eventually dissolves into a sea of subdued tension. The Protagonist
is up next (one of only two acts here that get two tracks), creating a
similar vibe as ISN, but utilizing more horns and strings for a
grander effect. Ordo Equilibrio deliver an excellent slice
of Death In June-like dark acoustic folk with near-spoken vocals.
Quite possibly my favorite track on the whole comp follows, in the form
of “|-|” from Sanctum. Lena’s sweet vocals are the
perfect counter-balance to the classical-tinged rhythms. The Wagnerian
drive of Puissance’s track is a perfect reflection of the band’s
totalitarian and misanthropic stance, love it or hate it.
Next up is one of my fave CMI acts, Arcana. This
male/female duo create some truly inspired medieval music, as does the
following artist, Mortiis. His contribution is actually a
demo version of the song “Child of Curiosity & the Old Man of Knowledge,”
a
track to appear on the soon-to-be-released Stargate album.
Desiderii
Marginis return the proceedings to the more experimental field of bands
like ISN, building lots of atmosphere in the process.
Sephiroth
provides some subtle but effective ambience that eventually builds into
a trance-like dance rhythm for some unnamed ritual. Raison d’être
keep the level of quality up with a dreamy ambient piece that would be
soothing were it not for the one noisy effect that pans across the soundscape
throughout. Hazard is the reincarnation of the classic CMI
outfit Morthound, closing out disc 1 with a piece of noisy ambience.
Not a bad track, but compared to the quality of the preceding tracks, it
is a bit of a letdown.
Disc two is the more abrasive and experimental of the two, starting
off with a nice raspy buzz to herald in the opening cut by Brighter
Death Now. The sonic assault continues, broken only by the occasional
distorted vocal delivery of the song title, “I wish I was a little girl!”
Frozen
Faces follow with an even more difficult piece of barely controlled
noise. The notorious “black industrial” act MZ.412 are next
with a fairly reserved musical approach and spoken vocals. Megaptera
are even more minimal, while Deutsch Nepal arrange a reasonably
interesting rhythmic sound collage.
Remember the CMI act Aghast? They split a while
back, resulting in two new one-woman acts, namely Hagalaz Runedance
and
Nacht.
Nacht are next up on The Absolute Supper, providing
some mournful vocals layered over a sparse and decaying ambient track.
One of the more established CMI groups is next, namely
Archon
Satani. Their sound is interesting – brooding ambience broken
by the occasional bell chime, snare drum and cymbal crash, with spoken
narrative to guide the way. Ildfrost are the other band to
receive two tracks on this comp. The first is a throw-away, where
the various elements of the soundscape don’t really come together very
well, while the second is a far more melodious affair, with a certain world
music feel to it. Cintecele Diabolui, yet another Mortiis
side project, ends the comp on a very odd note. The upbeat, harpsichord-driven
tune has a certain cheesy carnival appeal to it, especially combined with
the vampiric lyrics.
One thing that really stands out after listening through The Absolute
Supper is the high quality of the recordings most of these artists
have. The packaging is first-rate, too, with one booklet detailing
each artist with a picture, brief bio and discography, and another booklet
that features a lengthy label discography and history. If you’ve
only heard a few CMI bands up to this point or if you like dark
music of any sort, this is definitely the album for you.
[Daniel Hinds]
[various artists]
Amduscias
(Zenflesh records)
Wow, 21 experimental tracks on one CD. Already you know some of the
tracks hafta be around 2 minutes or less, which I think is perfect for
the "difficult" genre-- it's just long enough to introduce neat sounds
and textures without trying to force them into a song format.
There's a range of diversity of this disc which is kinda funky.
Mostly noisescapes with the odd acoustic glop or Aphex Twinnish
rhythmic noodling thrown in. Petit Mal gives the noisescape
and excellent digital treatment, as does Brite Moments.
This is something I must totally commend, not only do they sound cool,
but they manage to break away from the rigid "experimental music" guidelines.
I don't know why "difficult musicians" have latched onto tape loops, guitar
noodling and assorted effects boxes so strongly, but they have, and this
CD exemplifies it for the most part. Of course there are some exceptions
to the distortion-box and field-recorder mantra here, like La Hannya's
straight-up-by-comparison guitar and vocal song "Drowning", or Kiosk's
IDMish ditty "Antichthon" But these are more the tracks that
don't fit in at all rather than push the boundaries of "difficult music".
I hope to hear more from Petit Mal and Brite Moments in the
future, maybe even through Zenflesh?
Altogether, this is a nice intro to twenty-some groups I had mostly
never heard of before, and wonder if I will ever hear from again.
[Laird Sheldahl]
[various artists]
Neo-Industrial Resistance
(4D Records)
I was just yakkin' it up with a friendly indie record label head about
how detrimental it can be to label your music 'industrial'-- more often
images of NIN or Rammstein will be conjured up (ironic
note: the friendly label-guy runs Arts Industria). Either
that or recycled EBM. And while many of the bands presented here
are a bit EBM, the dominant genre on Neo-Industrial Resistance
is dark synth-pop. And very well executed dark synth-pop.
I almost want to wrap up the review and just say that the opening track
by Binarcode makes owning this comp a necessity. They open
up the comp with a Cloned-era Lassigue Bendthaus styled
industrial/dance tune. Dang, they hit it right down to the super-cool
tweaked-out segues. You need to hear this.
Clone-DT, the first Brazilian act on this Brazilian comp, offers
a very weird, sample-happy and mostly rhythmic goody that reminds me a
bit of Vampire Rodents (sans vocals). Its quirky, weird, never
settles down and kept me happy.
Next up are three one-man Brazilian EBM acts, Frontrunner, X on Mind
and Dead Jump. Dead Jump is a bit noisier than the
other two, and I'm guessing he is a big fan of FLA's Caustic
Grip and yELWORC.
New Mexico's Diverje is up next and remixed by Frontrunner.
Perhaps this has given Diverje a bit more focus on synth lines,
but it doesn't stray far from the original sound.
Noxious Emotion provide an older track (Steril).
I've already said before I love these guys.
The Inhuman Logic remind me a bit of XMTP's recent dance-music-with-a-hint-of-new-wave-synthpop
phase. Lots of synth lines here. Nothin of Nothing,
another Brazilian act, use lots of harpsichord- sounds in their mellow,
melodic and fairly spacey (in a Project Pitchfork way) music.
Digital Blood (whose side project is Binarcode) are a
bit noisier-- adding growly vocals and a teutonic snare to blurpy, fast
basslines. A bit more "industrial" than other tracks on the comp.
Trancy riffs and a cool sine-wavish bass make their track pretty cool.
Neuroactive
is perhaps the most well-known dark synth-pop band on the comp, and their
track (remixed by Aghast View) is really, really nice. TB303
basslines add an acid feel without straying far from the melodic nature
of their music.
I hadn't heard Trylok before their track here. Apparently
they have a CD coming out soon ("Reliance"). But placed in-between
Neuroactive
and Aghast View, their song was lost in the mix.
Aghast View was the first band I thought of when I got this Brazilian
comp. Perhaps the hardest and most "industrial/ebm" track here--
"Payoff". It is most excellent. If you haven't heard Aghast
View yet, well, where the hell have you been? Hard-hitting beats,
distorted vocals, trancy synths... yeah, its nothing new and innovative,
but its well done, and they do have a certain dynamic (unique sounds, no
standard song structure) that most EBM acts totally lack.
Sleepwalk is a bit growly in the vocal department for my taste,
and a bit lacking musicwise. Unformed takes the dreaded last-spot-on-the-comp
and fills it with some distorted, machine-gunned beats.
All in all, this is a pretty fine comp. If you wanna hear what
Brazil has to offer, or just hear some good dark synth pop, I definitely
recommend this!
[Laird Sheldahl] |
