I don’t like Industrial music.
Don’t get me wrong, like everyone of my generation I went through my Nine Inch Nails phase, but that ended after Downward Spiral and I didn’t really bother keeping up with the scene, outside of whatever garbage that my one “serious” Industrial fan friend would subject me to whenever I was unlucky enough to have to go visit them at their place. You know the kind, still wears a Front 242 t-shirt that they’ve had since they were a lot younger – and a lot thinner – and who is convinced that if you haven’t heard the latest, hottest Belgium underground electronic act then you really don’t understand music. I mean, nice enough fella, but a shite taste.
So, reading that Scarset Rebellion fall under that genre, you can imagine that I went into Flesh Against The Void with a lot of trepidation. Thankfully, those fears were unfounded.
There are definite elements of Industrial music scattered throughout Flesh Against The Void – especially during Crowned In Chaos which is the closest they get to fully embracing the genre – but it is mixed in with so many other elements that the final concoction is a cocktail that works far better than I had thought it would. Kind of like the first time you drink a White Russian.
Scarset Rebellion are a band who are as comfortable in the relams of Black and Death Metal as they are in the world of Electronica and Synth, and they use it to blistering effect. Tracks like Death Spread Into The World and Orgasm Dissolution are built on these foundations and drive on like a drunken Kennedy at the wheel.
Elsewhere, Second To None and One Lonely Soul give off Motorhead vibes – always a winner in my book – and Pulse Of Corruption hits like Death Metal Punk, which I’m not even sure is a thing, but if it isn’t then it bloody well should be.
Flesh Against The Void wraps up with Brain Doomed, a track that comes across as if Gaerea were having a few drinks with the Butthole Surfers, and just like that, 38 minutes have flown by and I’m left with the question, has Sacrset Rebellion changed my opinion on Industrial music?
A while ago I reviewed an album by a band (who shall remain nameless) and I wasn’t impressed by it. It fell under a style that I’m not a fan of, and though it was well played it did nothing to change my opinion. I posted the review to social media and had the band reply. They weren’t rude, but they did say they didn’t understand why I would review a genre I didn’t like.
Now, my first reaction was to reply that it’s my job to review everything that I am sent and I’m not going to like everything I receive, but I feared that I would go off on a rant that would include how I’m sick and tired of people not being able to take constructive criticism anymore, which wouldn’t have been a good look so I kept my mouth shut.
However, the next time that happens – and it will as I review a lot of stuff – instead of keeping my mouth shut, I’m just going to link bands to this review and say “This is why I review genres I don’t like, because there’s always the chance that a band will completely turn my opinion on its head.”
I like Flesh Against The Void, I think it’s a bloody good record, and if Scarset Rebellion are a sign of how the Industrial scene has grown and evolved since I stopped paying attention to it nearly 30 years ago, then I think it’s time I dusted off my old Nine Inch Nails t-shirt. You know, the one I had when I was a lot younger and a lot thinner…
Flesh Against The Void is available from the Scarset Rebellion Bandcamp page.
RATING: 3.5 OUT OF 5
RATING SYSTEM:
- 0: Fucking Shit
- 1: Shit
- 2: Not Bad Shit
- 3: Pretty Good Shit
- 4: Amazing Fucking Shit
- 5: The Best Shit You Will Ever Hear
PRESS SOURCE: Davide Pulito The Metallist / PR & Marketing for Heavy Music. Contact Website and Email: [email protected]
