(10.21.06) Here comes the first opus of this Greek duo released by
the Italian
label Decadance Records. Perhaps I’m not the best person to be reviewing such an album, or
maybe I am,
after all; because this is roughly the kind of music I was doing and listening to
ten or even
fifteen years ago, i.e. dark electro-industrial, a la Project Pitchfork, Razed in
Black or Velvet
Acid Christ. So I have the mental tools to be quite critical. Sorry.
Well I’ll try not to be too tough, and after all, for a first album this is not a
bad release.
Fans of dark Electronic Body Music are likely to enjoy the ten tracks on this disc.
But the thing
that strikes me is how has-been it sounds, including the title, an obvious reference to
Cronenberg’s film Videodrome, a cult movie for the rivetheads of the
eighties/nineties. Clearly,
if you are into electro-industrial and enjoy the likes of Dulce Liquido or
Leaetherstrip, this
release is for you. Most tracks are dance-floor oriented, and the first one, “Fire
Walks with Me”
(Lynch, after Cronenberg; is it a silent conspiracy supporting Canadian cinema?)
might even be a
potential hit for your next Hallowe’en party.
All in one, the tracks are not really that bad. It depends on what you are expecting
from a new
album. If you want to be comforted in your tastes and just have an opportunity to
show up with
your new black fishnet tee-shirt, that’s fine. But I am wondering how a movement
that was once a
source of innovation and experimentation was able to turn into such a psycho-rigid
style. No
matter how well this can be crafted, I find that this music has lost a lot of
pertinence nowadays.
As for the lyrics: track 3 (“In Extremis”) starts like this: “I name pain necessary. All fear is but bliss. Mutilation is so merry. Man’s flesh in the dish.”
Is it me or does it just sound “cliche”?
Maybe the problem is that I expect music to provide me new experiences, new
sensations and
feelings, and when I find these kinds of releases, technically well done but
lacking innovation
and experimentation, I just feel it’s a waste of talent. For fans only.
Rise New Flesh is out now on Decadance. Buy it at Amazon.com
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