_SiGNats To Nowe 16

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE YOU FORGOT IT IN PEOPLE

ity S| the group makes it special, I'm not saying the music

ep special... it is. What I'm baying is that what

not be sround ies bush ee Sicken cian ee “You it In gible! is one of the best EUs Thave ever owned. It's

ree i nthe morning pduring the show hee they se bands that bout yet) I was hooked instantly. Guitar-based on

y. my ¢ jpoodiness tn most bands I listen i lack. Now that I final- | entire album in my grubby hands, I’ve realised that from

g id action-packed “ Almost Cane to the quiet and banjo- | “Anthems | for a Seventeen Meare Girl “ every song on. hes

art broken socal Scene has me a hole through my pects ons, and a a sly fe on the other side. Metaphor, yeah!

‘athleen and jo pe

CLA AN OF XY WOX

Pez

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>> Clan of Xymox Farewell Metropolis 2003

Clan of Xymox was formed in Amsterdam way back in 1984. They’ ve been described as an elec- tro-goth act, and that does seem to be an apt description of their music: dark and full of synthesiz- ers. Clan of Xymox has also been compared to bands that I have never heard of, such as Andrew Eldritch’s Sisters of Mercy. Perhaps this would help describe Clan of Xymox’s sound to a diehard fan, but for the rest of you, this review will have to be a start- ig point in your discovery of the electro-goth genre of music.

This CD is full of the European- style synthesizer loops that are quite prevalent in the European industrial scene. There are dark lyrics, well-executed beats, and some very nice guitar riffs. The tracks are performed very well, and serve to illustrate the fact that the band has been together for quite awhile, and therefore have developed skills pertaining to their respective instruments. Some of the songs are downright catchy, which one would not necessarily expect from something dubbed “electro-goth”. Of course, some of the tracks are heavy and rather depressing, which one probably would expect. In all, “Farewell” is an interesting CD, and listening to it was quite an educational experi- ence.

kk

-Dana

>> Dew Scented Impact Nuclear Blast 2003

Amazingly enough, after a little more than ten years Dew Scented is still around and has just released their fifth album. They’re a pretty standard name in the not so mainstream genre of thrash death metal coming mostly out of Europe. There they have per- formed with some other, more- known groups like Arch Enemy, Cannibal Corpse, and (a band I reviewed last issue) Misery Index.

Ironically the first thing that

_popped into my head when I first

listened to this was the exact same thing that they refer to when describing their own sound. They are unarguably the reincarnation of old school Slayer from every- thing by the way they scream their lyrics to the way they beat their instruments. Like a musical riot of spilt blood and broken bone there is nothing subtle about the way these guys do business.

Their sound is loud and noisy the way I like, however, a problem that I have with this group is that like so many other bands in the thrash metal scene there really isn’t anything unique about them to give them an edge over the rest of their competition. Dew Scented needs to continue to develop and experiment if they want to catch the attention of the thrash death metal masses that are out there. This release of theirs has the qual- ity of a band that has had some time to mature their sound but still holds room for better things in the future.

kk

>Russell

>> Faith and the Muse The Burning Season Metropolis Records 2003

The fourth effort of Faith and the Muse is quite a departure from their regular brand of traditional goth rock. In “The Burning Season,” the band has snuck in elements of trance, punk, jazz, and rock and roll into this self-declared “diverse album.” Their themes bridge a range of subjects, por- traying them in a “very direct and confrontational fashion,” making this album a “bold new offering by a band with an eye for risk.”

To be fair, this album didn’t give

‘me leprosy: It wasn’t really offen-

sive to my delicate ears, either. And, while I’m walking in this direction, there isn’t one single instance of baby-eating here, or puppy-kicking, or anything that would instantly turn me off of this album. On-the other hand, there also wasn’t any grand epiphany that could shatter the musical world. There was no hiccup of style and sound that reverberated in my soul to leave me a changed man. There wasn’t even a free sticker or box of Corn Flakes or anything. Faith and the Muse isn’t a bad band, but “The Burning Season” just doesn’t offer any- thing really new or experimental to grasp onto, While I don’t feel any worse off for listening to this album, I don’t know if I’ve gained anything, either. Their self-stated “a band with an eye for risk” does- n't really fit their bill, but then, the album was listenable, so it wasn’t a total loss. ake >Josh

OVER THE EDGE’S RATINGS

1% I’m not saying it’s like buttsex, I’m just sayin’. *x* Like mold off last week’s toast.

*&%*&x* Didn't make me want to kill myself, just other people. *&**k*k | passed my NACHOS midterm! *kkk*k* | get an A+ in NACHOS!