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This second Jesus Complex album sees mainman Reverend Damon Fries going it alone, without the help of Pandaimonium Records, who released his debut I Woke Up Dead & The Clan Of Xymox's Ronny Moorings, who recorded & produced it. Happily, striking out on his own like this has allowed Damon to shine in his own right with a follow-up album that is exciting, infectious & varied but far more coherent than its predecessor. With titles such as 'The Urge To Kill' & "I Want To Murder You' this was always going to be a pretty dark affair &, for the most part, this proves to be the case as Damon lays down some heavy dark electro offerings in a similar vein to Wumpscut (albeit even darker in the case of the title track, believe it or not) with the relatively minimalist feel of the aforementioned 'I Want To Murder You' contributing, along with some unbelievably creepy vocals, towards one of the most chilling pieces you're ever likely to hear (even if the screams do get a bit irritating after a while!) while 'It's Cold In Hell' similarly succeeds in sending shivers down the spine. It seems that every ingredient of these tracks is dedicated to adding to the dark, brooding style although the Dalek sample on 'Your Existence' sounds a bit cliched to these English ears but maybe Damon, like Rotersand, didn't know what it was & just liked the sound of it! Perhaps even more encouraging is the way he avoids the stylistic straitjacket that is the downfall of many dark electro albums by throwing in a couple of punky/new wave offerings which still fit in with the album perfectly with the guitar work on 'I'm Not The Enemy' being reminiscent of Ultravox circa Systems Of Romance while the short, sharp 'Worry' ends the album on a singalong punky note, remaining totally faithful to the old-skool punk ethic by clocking in at under 3 minutes (& anyone who subverts that facile Don't Worry Be Happy nonsense is alright by me!). Straddling these two very different styles is 'Murder Is The Only Revenge' which mixes the best ingredients of both & the result is another excellent track while the chorus of 'Til Death Do Us Part' has an unrelenting, brutal feel that is reminiscent of Suicide Commando at his best. When taken as a whole, this album indicates that Damon is aiming for a more distinctive sound &, despite the many comparisons that can be made, it's definately a step in the right direction so if you're looking for an album that's not afraid to spring the odd surprise here & there then this deserves to be on your shopping list. |
