SEPTEMBER 24, 3002

OVER THE EDGE’S RATINGS

* Should be raped by a weasel

** MSG’d

*xx* Like sniffing J Lo’s diaphragm
**k*k* Better than NyQuil

kkkkk Ribbed NyQuil for my pleasure

eeeee 686

Bh, freemen nee

>> Fear Cult
Visionary Complex
Cleopatra Records 2003

From the basement of social out-
cast Matt Riser, this ‘techno-goth-
ic’ band has since evolved and
sprouted new members, expand-
ing over the past nine years and
evolving into the globulous mass
of music that sits before us today
with “Visionary Complex”.

Presenting us with music that
oozes with heavy influence from
bands like The Cure, Fear Cult has
a good amount of potential hiding
behind the band members’ less-
than-commendable voices.

The solid beat and decent
atmosphere upon which this
album is founded is ruined in
many of the songs by the complete
lack of vocal talent; the lead artist,
in most cases, sounds like the lead
singer of The Monster Mashéonly
only slightly more higher and a lit-
tle squeaky. The song in which the
female vocalists are entrusted is
annihilated mercilessly as we’re
reminded why the backup signers
are usually kept in the back.

There are two songs on this
album, however, that I quite
enjoyed - both of which are remix-
es. The first is “The Safety Dance”,
a wonderfully retarded song from
the eighties which has captured
the hearts of people wearing big
hair and gawdy clothes for about
twenty years now. The remix
retains much of its delightful
vacuity while Fear Cult works
their ‘techno-goth’ angle quite
well into the mix. The second is of
Blur’s most annoying song to
date, known as “Girls & Boys”, the
disgustingly electronic ‘boop-
beep’ tempo smothered in the
power of the guitars. And the fact
that the lead singer kept the
Monster Mash to himself in these
songs doesn’t hurt, either.

All in all, I'd say these guys
have potential - all they need is a
new vocalist. Unfortunately, I’m
rating the album, not the group,

and the vocals take a good deal”

away from the music.
kk
> Bill

Freax
Freax 2003

Unfortunately, the best thing
about this album, the self titled,
self produced release by Freax, is
probably their cover art. For the
most part these guys just sound
like an insignificant amateur
underground industrial group.
Throughout the album I kept
expecting the music to pick up
and kick in with something loud-
er. However the music is far from
heavy in any of their tracks,
although they don’t do too bad of
a job when they try to do simple
soft rock. This CD reminds me of
Orgy, and maybe, in a lesser way,
of Stabbing Westward although
not nearly as experienced as
either. I think they really ought to
add a little energy into their songs
and it would help if their singer
would take some lessons. I could-
n't wait for him to shut up and for
the disk to be over.

*

> Russell

>>Nightrage
Sweet Vengeance
Century Media 2003

Simply put, Sweet Vengeance,
the latest release by Nightrage, a
melodic death metal band from
Greece, is a great album. They
combine all of the fury that you’d
get from finding out your girl-
friend is cheating on you with that
feeling of tranquility you’d get
after killing yourself. Okay I’m
just kidding. Don’t go do that.

SIGNALS TO Nose 10

Check this album out instead,
they’ve got it all: a screaming
singer, heavy and sharp sounding
guitars, bass that’s all over the
place, and, most importantly,
lyrics that make you wonder who
pissed off this guy so bad.
Personally, what I always look for
in music of this nature is variation
within the songs and not crap that
repeats itself. This CD gives you
that though an intricate mixture of
heavy and light rhythms that go
neither too slow nor too fast.
There’s also more mellow singing
in some of the tracks, which is a
nice touch, and a reprieve from the
usual screaming of the lead vocals.
kkk
> Russell

>>Mercury Tide
Why?
Century Media 2003

Mercury Tide is a melange of
various members of various back-
grounds, the foundation of which
is the lead vocalist/backup gui-
tarist Dirk Thurisch of a power-
metal band named “Angel Dust”.
Add his brother on keyboards,
Tiamat bassist Anders Iwers,
Stefan Gemballa, formerly of
Flowing Tears, on drums, and fel-
low ex-Angel Dust-head Bernd
Aufermann heading up lead gui-
tar (though his picture is curiously
missing from the group shot and
credit list on the back of the CD),
Mercury Tide is a wonderful mix
of countless people who I don’t
know from bands of which I’ve
never heard.

Mercury Tide has the same
power-driven musical style as
contemporary artists such as
Metallica while mixing a dash of
Marilyn-Manson creepiness, only
they lack one thing that both of
those artists have in common -
something that many bands do
fairly well without, but the lack of
which tends to keep some smaller
bands down: Talent.

What kills this album are the
vocals - in both lyric and perfor-
mance. The lead vocalist’s voice
simply isn’t powerful enough to
fit in the metal-parts and simply
isn’t moving enough to work dur-
ing the few slow-and-creepy parts