Android Lust - The Dividing -
Projekt
This is definitely not the searing, screaming Android Lust
I have known. The Dividing finds Bangladesh-born Shikhee on a
new label with a new vision and an evolved form of her earlier harsh
electro-industrial ravings. Now with more focus, more musical talent and a more
diverse vocal range, Android Lust is primed to become one of the slickest
outfits in the electro-punk scene.
Bunnydrums - PKD Simulacra -
Metropolis
Practically no one reading this will have ever heard of
Bunnydrums. Suffice it to say they are one of the most incredible
punk-industrial-rock-new-wave bands you never heard when they originally
released all of this material between 1981–86. Catchy riffs and
repetitious beats and bass lines reminiscent of Lead Into Gold and Revolting
Cocks are blended with the early punk-style of Devo and the offbeat
experimentalism of Cabaret Voltaire. Why not throw some Alien Sex Fiend and
Chris Connelly in there for a generalized and very weird vocal description to
cap off my cop-out name-dropping. All I can really say is that if you like
punk, industrial, rock, or even goth music, you’ll love the unique
conglomerate that Bunnydrums offers on PKD.
Freax - Freax - Self released
A bunch
of tools got together in their mom’s basement one day after getting drunk
and listening to Alice In Chains and decided to make a shitty album. First they
decided on the name “Freax” because it “sounded cool.” Then
they decided to take the shit they wrote on the back of napkins at the ghetto
diner down the street and sing them with all the skill of a bullfrog getting a
highly unwanted enema. Then they downloaded some cool images of Goth chicks
tied up and gagged for the album cover with Joey’s 1986 Compaq, which they
also used to create the album art. All of the tools thought that
“Freax” was a good idea until they released the album into the hands
of critics who would listen to their CD and give it reviews like this. If
anyone needs a good coaster to protect your favorite piece of bedside
furniture, email me—I have the perfect CD for you.
In The Nursery - Praxis - ITN
Corp
If you’ve been following Altercation for any length if
time, you’ll notice I have always stayed on top of ITN — and with
reason. Few bands embrace a DIY ethic while perpetuating such high standards,
and fewer bands work as hard to make every album a complete work of art. Praxis
sees the Humberstone brothers unleashing another neoclassical masterpiece,
blending modern electronics with lush dramatic soundscapes overlaid by the
wistful vocals of Dolores Marguerite C. Also contributing vox on this release
are Klive & Nigel H. themselves, an excellent complement to the more
aggressive tracks. Being as how In The Nursery have been around for decades and
have not once let me down, I fully recommend this album as I have all the
others.
KMFDM (feat. Pig) - Sturm & Drang
Tour 2002 - Metropolis
As a huge KMFDM fan, I was quite pleased to
see this video released, especially since Raymond Watts and the Pig crew were
heavily involved (not to mention Lucia Cifarelli, Bill Rieflin, and Chris
Connelly). Thankfully, of the 14 “heavy beat” industrial songs
showcased on the Sturm and Drang 2002 tour, only Godlike was revived from the
definitive old-school vault, a wise decision to fans already familiar with the
earlier KMFDM anthems. Behind the scenes clips are inserted between videos
providing some insight and comic relief, not to mention a break from the live
footage. It doesn’t take much imagination to know this stuff was more
exciting in person, although the shows are well filmed and capture as much of
the live experience as possible. Other than such debauchery as a roadie
tempting fate by lighting an object in his ear on fire, you will see
Sascha-bashing, bum harassment and general rowdiness. You will also see band
members bowling (rather terribly), getting tattoos, and gaily hugging stuffed
animals. For me the DVD was worth it for these clips alone, and the 14 KMFDM
live video clips were the icing on the cake.
Laibach - WAT -
Mute
It’s good to see Laibach keeping a solid mark on the map
after more than 2 decades of music. Always operating on the controversial rims
of acceptance, they tend to upset more people than they entertain and that is
why I love them. Their 7-year hibernation has resulted in an album strikingly
different from their last release, Jesus Christ Superstars.
WAT is a dramatic hybrid of their orchestrated
NATO-era material with an intense and ultra-modern
technological edge. The vocals are the typical growl normally associated with
Laibach, backed often by theatrical opera-like voices. Every ounce of this
album screams Laibach despite any stylistic changes. This is quite possibly
their greatest work to date.
Midnight Syndicate - Dungeons &
Dragons - Entity
Remember my reviews of these guys in past issues?
I’ve always said from the start that Midnight Syndicate was ideal for use
as a soundtrack for D&D campaigns, and it seems they took it to heart with
Dungeons & Dragons! This officially licensed, superbly
orchestrated soundtrack is skillfully styled and specifically geared toward
battling orcs, slaying dragons, finding treasure and rescuing ravaged lands
from evil clutches, all in the realms of Dungeons & Dragons. With 23
intensely dramatic tracks, it doesn’t matter if you’re rolling for
initiative or just chilling at your computer. Dungeons &
Dragons is a great album any way you decide to listen to it.
Mlada
Fronta - Oxydes & Remixes - Parametric
This French one-man
band consists of Remy Pelleschi, a peddler of digital noise experimentalism
with technoid beats and a cold inorganic angle. His guerilla industrial
rhythms, sci-fi cinematic sweeps and caustic effects are definitely not for the
timid or unadventurous, though sparse melodic passages squeeze themselves
through some of the cracks to provide a cantilevered balance for this non-vocal
album. Devoid of the typical bleeps and bloops one might normally associate
with this type of “frontier” electronic music, Mlada Fronta is far
from typical and is well worth a listen.
Moron Parade
- Heat Slap - ParadeCo Records
Wow. Sometimes I think people
release garage albums just to get attention and respect from their fellow
highschoolers. But there are better ways, and you don’t have to waste
plastic or paper in the process. Just pretend you’re going to jump off of
a bridge. Beat up homeless people. Vandalize a graveyard. It’s less
socially harmful than releasing a piece of crap like this into the
public’s CD players.
Novakill - Hard Tech for a Hard World
- Metropolis
Hard Tech for a Hard World is a
compilation encompassing the seven-year history of Novakill. What you can
expect from this album is a sophomoric attempt at digital industrial music,
neither good nor bad but hovering in a muddy purgatory with no hope of being
seen as a great testament to either the genre or the band itself. The problem
lies within the band’s attempt to cram too much into every second of sound
without artistic regard, consistency, or any feeling beyond the superficial
angst created simply by noise, stereotypical distorted vocals and discordant
musical ramblings.
Pride and Fall - Nephesh -
Metropolis
If a mad scientist somewhere were to successfully blend
one part VNV Nation, one part Project Pitchfork, one part Icon of Coil, and 3
parts Fucking Sweet, this is the album that would blow up their laboratory. The
speedy high-energy attitude of Nephesh spans a variety of
emotions with relentless club-worthy industrial beats. Keep your eyes and ears
on this band or you’ll be missing out.
Razed In Black - Damaged -
Cleopatra
I’ll admit that I never gave Razed In Black a
serious chance. They have never appealed to me as one of the better industrial
bands and so I ignored them, but with Damaged I have been
forced to re-evaluate my opinion of them. While the high-energy remix portion
of this 2-disc set admittedly spanks the original tracks, the album is
definitely worth picking up. Noteworthy contributors include Assemblage 23,
Athan Maroulis (of Spahn Ranch), and Soil & Eclipse. Also included is a
bonus live video, supposedly comprised of video submissions from fans across
all 50 states. Razed In Black have definitely become serious contenders in the
arena of dwindling bands worth listening to in the industrial-rock genre.
