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Released
1997

Label
Metropolis

Reviewed by
Korax

Contact
Metropolis

Visit
Metropolis
P.O. Box 54307
Philadelphia,
PA 19105
USA

Mentallo And The Fixer

CENTURIES

         
Track Listing


1. Other World Technology (Har-magedon)
2. Other World Technology (Crytik-cut)
3. Lightyear (Equation)
4. Stellar Cascade (Spore-print)
5. Other World Technology (Re-mix)
6. Other World Technology (Mescal-Mix)

          Now, from what I have heard from these two Austin, Texas boys in the past, Revelations 23,
Where Angels Fear to Tread, and Continuum, I've always been impressed; Aside from the "Japanamation Theme song music" sound of the latter, which I enjoyed in a different sorta way (it made me chuckle). And with the MUCH overdue release of their new single Centuries, I was again pleased.
          I've heard a lot of complaints about this CD from friends and enemies alike; Not many like it and I can't understand why. I suppose 4 mixes of "Other World Technology" and two new tracks (which are Astounding) is a bit of a tease, but still, Remixes are Remixes... and we all Know and Love how popular it is to remix one bloody song a zillion times on any single in our genre. People have told me it's plain, repetitive, and annoying... and it sucks in general. I don't think I could disagree more; Hearing the same song 4 times in one sitting, TRUE, is repetitive, but, well, the songs DO indeed change (albeit not a lot).
          Overall, I'm not amazingly impressed with the 4 mixes anyhow. It's tracks 3 and 4 that I adore. "Lightyear" has a happy sorta feel to it...(something else lacking in this wonderful Genre of Music of Ours)... with snappy outer spacey lyrics and cute samples...and peppy keyboards...this track I rather enjoy... I think it's something we need. One friend complained specifically of this track, saying it was silly. I told him to go listen to something depressing [and dumb, and ridiculously overdone, and too sugary in the final presentation] like NIN. If we wanna cry or get mad about Our Music, we always have Goth.
          Track 4, on the other hand..."Stellar Cascade"
opens with a sample from my favorite movie, The Prophecy... (the bastards beat me to that sample, too..grr) overlaying a floaty melodic synth line, which
Mentallo, in my eyes, is famous for. Then drifting into
whoever is singing's creepy throat wrenching vocal style...(get this man a lozenge) mixed with the Traditional Mentallo Drum Machine Abuse, and a new
twist: background vocals from Spahn Ranch's own Matt Green. He sounds a tad Ogreesque; again nothing new in our industrial field. The main vocals are stunning,
however: dark and not heavy on the distortion like in
previous releases, but more throaty and echoed, which I like.
          Now, lyrics.. lyrics. they print the lyrics in the main track here...sorta like a randomly generated speak and spell session, nothing impressive, but who likes industrial for the lyrics anyhow? Unless they say, "Blood death kill" and a million words that rhyme with "Ate". So it's all good. As long as he sounds MEAN *grrrr*, and that he does! On the new tracks, the lyrics are decent. "Lightyear" has sorta spacey happy lyrics about flying around the cosmos... A little distant from the usual hatemongering we all know and love, but hell... it's fun! "On Stellar Cascade," the lyrics are a tad more philosophical, maybe something closer to anger, so we can understand it better.

          In the end of it all, I'm rather pleased with this
release. Because in an age of people spoiled by the new releases by all the EBMy HaujobbCovenantIndex-
GermanMeanOleScreamLike:Wumpscut: folks, I'm glad to come back to the ole Zoth Ommog sensibility I knew and Loved. Even if Zoth is kinda dead. It's nice to know some things are still good.

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