This is the first Mentallo + the Fixer cd that I have ever listened to without wanting to immediately dismiss it as faux-industrial. Not only do I really like this entire album, it makes me think I trashed their earlier work too quickly.
A bit of background for those of you as unfamiliar with them as I was. Gary and Dwayne Dassing are as southern as many of us in the Tallahassee scene, coming from Texas. They got their name from a couple of comic book characters and were raised on rock. Until new wave came around and they discovered the Cars, Kraftwerk, Alphaville, early OMD and especially Gary Numan (all of whom Dwayne listed as influences), Dwayne sites Cabaret Voltaire, Depeche Mode, Ministry and Coil as a few. They obtained the right equipment and began experimenting with a band they started called Benestrophe, during the early to mid-80s. They obtained a singer named Richard and recorded a few albums under this name. But it all came to an end in 1990 when the brothers moved to a different part of Texas. Then Mentallo + the Fixer began. A DAT of their first album as M&TF, No Rest for the Wicked, was sent to Simbiose Records and subsequently released on 500 pieces of vinyl. A later tape was sent to Talla 2XLC of Zoth Ommog and they were signed to a three-record deal within two weeks. Revelation 23, their first with Zoth Ommog caught the attention of Metropolis who immediately signed them to an exclusive contract. Be sure to check their official site for more on their history and on their catalog.
Through the many phases of the band, they've now come full circle, back to the hard beats, aggressive and distorted lyrics with hard driving rhythms. The intro track, Palestine, begins with the wailing prayer voices and moves quickly into a solid 4/4 (your basic dance beat, thump, thump, thump, thump) which picks up halfway through in a militaristic fashion. M+TF have regained their angst and processed it into an excellent little package. Though this is not the only theme of the album, vengeance and angst are high on the list, just take a look at the song titles: "Death on Delicate Wings," "Outside are the Dogs," "Like a Carcass Trodden Down," "Good For Nothing," and of course "Judgment Executed (in the Low Plain of Decision)." Even the packaging has a few biblical quotes to set the tone, and a few who's origin i'm unsure of: "I shall come as a thief, and you will not know what hour I shall come upon you," as well as "I came to start a fire on the Earth." As cheesey as this sounds i'm hoping this album starts a fire on the dance floor, which it could easily do, just check it out for yourself. The Metropolis Records Site has some mp3 samples for you and I believe their official site does as well. Take note, Mentallo + the Fixer have returned...
I'm off to to rescue a few cds from my "sell" stack.
