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Mortiis
The Smell of Rain
2001 Presence/ Mortiis

You know, there is no rea-
sonable reason why | like this
CD so much.

Mortiis is actually the ex-
bass player of Emperor, but
the CD doesn’t have any
trace of black metal though,
The Smell of Rain is an eight-
ies styled pop oddity, or per-
haps odyssey.

Mortiis’ lyrics are rather
dark and morbid and not the
most intelligent things | have
ever heard (well, he is
Norwegian) so that can’t be
the reason | like this CD.

Andrew W. K.
I Get Wet
2001 Island/Universal

This is a project that man-
ages to put itself between
Spinal Tap, Butthole Suffers,
up beat punk, and Fraggle
Rock. Even though it is some
of the most apocalyptically
debilitated music I’ve heard, |
find it strangely enjoyable. It
qualifies as a penny dreadful
for me because it seems
apparent that Andrew does
not so much take the music
seriously as he does have
fun making the music.

The album features such
juicy greats as It’s Time to

Opeth
Blackwater Park

2001 Koch Records

Alright, | admit it, | LOVE.

Opeth. Normally | shy away
from Black metal, because it
sounds like well, Black Metal.

The metal community has
been raving for months about
what a mighty achievement
Blackwater Park is, how it’s
the album that took Black
Metal by the balls and gave it
a good shake, and finally |
can agree.

Not only is Blackwater park
heavy as hell, it’s good.

No it’s really, really, REAL-
LY good!

The music is a strange
blend of new-wavish eighties
goth, traces of KMFDM, key-
board arrangements and pop
music.

| don’t know why this
works, but it does.

Not just on me either,
everyone that I’ve subjected
to Mortiis has been drawn in,
and enjoyed it.

Perhaps it’s because most
of us are far too young to
have really remembered the
eighties in all their evilness.
Instead all we remember is
the good stuff, like Depeche
Mode and New Order, which
is kind of what Mortiis sounds
like, in a creepy gothy kind of

Party, Party Hard, and Party
‘til You Puke. You get the
general idea. Nearly every
song uses the same melodic
conventions or predictable
song structure. Even so, |
quite enjoyed the loose, fun
power punk rock vibe. It was
fun. Well, it is fun if you sus-
pend expectation of hearing
good music with lots of tech-
nique and conceptual merit.

Oddly, in some sort of
attempt at theme in the
album, each song starts with
a short melody that is the
same melody each time, only
with a slightly different spin or
instrument.

| don’t know if | would pay

Opeth’s music is highly
skilled, guitar orientated
metal, where the emphasis is
on the melody, not sounding
like weasels in blenders.

At first | was simply
impressed by the inventive
guitars riffs.

But the thing that truly
blows my mind is the fact that
Opeth aren’t afraid to break
out the acoustic guitars and

piano.
Yes, Opeth play soft,
haunting, melodic, soft,

acoustic music, and it suits
them.

They can be heavy as hell,
but | think that the best of
Opeth’s work is their mellow

way. ,

If Orgy could write truly
compelling and catchy music
it would sound like Mortiis.

| would recommend Mortiis
to anyone, with only one
small warning attached.

ITS CATCHY!

You will find yourself taking
this CD with you everywhere
you go, just so you can make
your friends listen to it.

It happened to me.

-Kathleen

for it, but it was fun to not
have to think about some-
thing that just rocked.

Oh yeah, it’s catchy, like
the plague.

-Destrudo

songs.
Mikael Akerfeldt’s voice is
wonderful and deep when he
growls, but when he sings
cleanly his voice is simply
incredible.
For once all the hype is

right, Opeth are actually
good, unlike most Black
Metal.

This CD rocks, and | don’t
care what anyone else says.
-Kathleen