Ever wondered to listen something like Lidia Lunch singing in a jam session which sees Korn and Brutal Truth involved? Nope? Well, if you listen to Otep's first album SEVAS TRA this could be the impression. I don't know why Capitol sent me an advance copy of their first album which contains seven out of twelve tracks but since it could be enjoyed also by industrial/gothic listeners, here I am reviewing it... Well, the particularity of a lot of songs is the experimental spoken pauses which serve to give a major dramatic sense to the following explosion of agony, where the distorted vocals sounds really wild, even if the singer is a girl. The band earned a spot on Ozzfest 2001 without a record deal and that live show allowed them to sign to a major label without a demo thanks to the power and the brutality of their live show. All the seven tracks of the CD are extreme and sound desperate and I think that you'll see them on MTV and similar channels really soon.

First full-length cd by this German trio, after a self-released mcd and a few compilation appearances on Black Rain and Nightingale samplers. Cyborg Attack cross electro with low-pitched, quasi black/death metal vocals. My main problem with this kind of crossover is that, besides being not that attractive per se, it seems very, very hard to do it well without being kitsch (while there are examples of good taste and sobriety both in electro and metal, of course). And, moreover, I think this cd gets really repetitive after a couple of tracks, which is not a good sign. Ok, electro is almost always like that, tun-tun-tun etc., but maybe coupling monotonous gruffy vocals is not the best way to make it more varied. Sorry, this was really not my thing.

Yo, watch out, the god of new italian industrial music with italian lyrics is back (I know he is laughing now): my young pal Daniele B. (sounds like a cheap rapper's name) is back with "Bluviola", follow up to the CD "Mamma Fottimi" and first release on a label other than his own one (ZZZ Prod.). Colorado's label Rodon Studio has apparently understood that this guy's up to something more that just screaming at people that they are shit (remember "sei una merda"? - by the way there's a new song now called "I love you all"), and thought well of putting out his new raging 9 tracks of material ranging from still moments of claustrophobic calm after (or before) the storm to violent and raw bursts of negative power, spoken by mean of distorted guitars, industrial sounds and other awful noises... I would say there is a more persistent use of guitars now, in their various forms and shapes, as a primary tool and instrument of atmosphere creation (harmonics, open chords, arpeggios, power chords, Whammy-pitched single notes, muted chords, you name it, he's got it...), and his very recognizable voice marks the path from disillusioning single-tone recital-like signing to screams of anger and love (check out how a bunch of overdubbed layers of his non-boring-bored singing-talk sound, even when he goes to some melodic back-lines). Also this record has drums, which definitely helps make everything even more powerful, dragging, chaotic and slamming. I dig his music a lot and I'm positive that if you give it a chance you'll be surprised. Don't be shy just 'cause he's Italian, this is good spent money and I admire Radon Studio's determination and attitude. Marco Milanesio (long-time electronic/industrial engineer from Northern Italy) was behind the console for this record and did a great job (I always thought that mixing and fucking with one of Daniele's records 's got to be a fun job ;-). As tense as it can go, he's got the gift and he's got it down all the way. The dude's freaking dope. Yes, I admit he's a good buddy, but he didn't pay for my good words, so get your ass off the chair and do what you are supposed to in the damn first place: catch him live (he plays all over the world) and buy his record before he's after you in your worst nightmares! He's out there! Watch your back (and protect your ears)!

Born from the ashes of hardcore band The Draft Poets, the french techno-industrial-rockers Muckrackers follow the trail of Germany's glorious ebm tradition (they sign in German although they're french) but integrate the old-style with some kick-ass new school post-core metal guitar riffs and industrial beats. The result is pretty interesting. As a lover of the industrial-metal stream, I was immediately fascinated by these guys' sound, even though after several listening sessions I still feel like something's missing, something's not quite there... Muckrackers are definitely on the right path, but their growth is obviously not over and I'll be looking forward to check out what else they can come up with to fill the gaps left by the five tracks of this MCD.
It's interesting to note that the term "muckracker" refers to those who "rack muck" (stir up shit), but in the US the expression was used to describe the work of the two D.C. journalists who uncovered the Watergate scandal and forced Nixon to resign in '72. The political involvement of the band is further accented by their lyrics, which deal with delicate subjects such as the anti-Milosevic regime, Otpor support (Serbian student movement), anti-totalitarian regimes etc.
Keep rocking the dancefloors!

As stated by the title, this is a Clawfinger compilation. If you don t known them, here s a little history: The Scandinavian heavy metal four-piece Clawfinger formed in 1988 when Jocke Skog and Zak Tell met while working together at the Rosenlunds Hospital in nearby Stockholm. Bard Torstensson and Erlend Ottem joined them in 1990. By the mid-'90s, Clawfinger self-released their debut Deaf Dumb Blind and their unique blend of metal and hip-hop was critically acclaimed in Swedish press, not to mention the album having sold over 600,000 copies worldwide. They've played at several European festivals including Holland's Dynamo Festival, Roskilde in Denmark, and Rock in Reim in Germany, and achieved different awards. Clawfinger took home two Grammies at the Swedish Grammy Awards in 1994 for Best Hardrock Band and Best Video. In 1995, the band recorded a sophomore effort, Use Your Brain, and maintained momentum with constant touring, notably participating in Ozzy Osbourne's Monsters of Rock Festival in South America and rocking alongside American metal counterparts like Megadeth, Faith No More, and Alice Cooper. Two years later, Clawfinger released their third self named album . I think at this point you know what to expect from this CD: twelve of the best tracks of their three albums packed with energy, distorted guitars, great tunes and echoes of the best Ministry along with hip hop breaks.