Acumen Nation – What The F*ck (10 Years of Armed Audio Warfare)

(WTII Records) 

3

Not so much a retrospective as a rarities collection, this lengthy 14-tracker includes a wealth of unreleased pieces from this veteran Chicago industrial-metal act. Opening with the new cut “The Wreck Of Us” (with guest vox by 16Volt mainman Eric Powell), Acumen Nation unleashes a torrent of hardbeat rock gems that don't expand the genre, but are heavy and well-enough produced to compete with the heavyweights. KMFDM frontwoman Lucia guests on “Life's Last Breath,” and the rest of the tracks are either remixes or unreleased demo versions of Acumen classics like “Revelations Per Minute,” “Queener,” or “Gun Lover.” All-in-all, What The F*ck is a solid intro to a band existing just outside the mainstream, and who've quietly produced some of the most solid heavy electro-metal of the last decade.

-- Todd Zachritz

Al Di Meola – Diabolic Inventions And Seduction For Solo Guitar Volume 1: Music of Astor Piazzolla

(Inakustik via MVD Audio) 

4

Di Meola is a serious master of his craft, winning a gamut of awards from the prestigious Guitar World magazine, among others, and this interpretation of Astor Piazzolla's brilliant and romantic classical-influenced tango music is altogether uplifting, reverential and beautiful. Di Meola befriended the late Piazzolla before the Argentine legend passed away in the early 90's, and his friendship with the influential and trailblazing composer forever changed Di Meola's musical outlook. Diabolic Inventions (a term Piazzolla used to describe his own music in the face of tango traditionalists) is a wonderful and engagingly easy-on-the-ears experience, and a joy to listen to. Di Meola's sparse and intricate guitar pluckings are both acrobatic and harmonious, conjuring images of warm climes, cool drinks, and old-world beauty. I dig it.

-- Todd Zachritz

To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie – The Patron

(Kranky)

5

This slice of malevolent beauty comes from a Minneapolis duo who mix angelic female voices with harsh and often jaggedly crunchy ambient/electronic sounds. Jehna Wilhelm's fleeting and ethereal voice reminds me of Rose McDowell (of Strawberry Switchblade/Current 93/Coil infamy) while the sound (courtesy of Mark McGee) is a varied and swirly vapour of textural dreams and fuzzy hallucinations, sometimes heavily rhythmic and at other times with a decidedly sinister ambient (even post-industrial) slant. One standout, “You Guys Talk, We'll Spill Our Guts” is a dark nursery rhyme, like the transfiguration of a soul into the great unknown. The nearest parallel would have to be the amazing and magickal Coil “Solstice” singles, but To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie conjure their own spirits on this compelling and mysterious debut.

-- Todd Zachritz

Dave Gahan – Hourglass

(Mute) 

3

The second solo effort from Depeche Mode frontman Gahan is a subtle and cohesive collection of tunes that move further from the rock-oriented directions of his previous solo work, and actually rival (or surpass) Depeche's own pieces of late. “Kingdom” is the obvious single, and is a top-shelf electro-rock anthem, whereas “Use You” is an industrial-tinged slice of bad-vibe and malediction. It seems that Gahan's tough-living bout in the 90's is well behind him, as he's making some of the most mature and intelligent music of his career here. Gahan's never sounded more confident and diverse, as tracks like the raw and edgy “Endless” illustrate. A few pieces falter a bit, as with the overdramatic and uncatchy “Miracles.” Nonetheless, 'Hourglass' is a solid and potent set of dark-edged reflections from one of the most influential vocalists in the genre.

-- Todd Zachritz

Various Artists – Def Jam Sessions Vol. 1

(Island/Def Jam)

3

A compilation of tracks not commercially available before, Sessions shows off fresh stuff from the all stars of the now-legendary label. Included here are songs from Method Man, Redman, Nas, Rihanna, Ne-Yo, Fabolus and Bobby Valentino, and the requisite hip-hop is the backbone, although Atlanta’s Valentino (from Ludacris’ Disturbing tha Peace crew) injects some quality R & B – a nice counterpoint to the sultry stylings of the lovely Ms. Rihanna.

            Indeed these are previously unreleased, and while they don’t expand the bounds of any known universe, Sessions is a perfectly workmanlike, enjoyable ¾ of an hour. Buy, and keep in a rotation at the next house party.

-- Rolf Johnston

Mudvanyne – By The People For The People

(Epic)

1

Nu-metal bands have, fortunately, dropped by the wayside these days. A product of the angry 90's, bands like Mudvayne find themselves trying to hold onto their fans any way they can. In this case, a full-length disc of demos and versions (as “chosen” by their website fans) is their answer. And, as each track is introduced by the band themselves, it's a “personal” gift, eh? Hmmph. To their credit, the band is capable of some powerful riffs and angsty pummel. The trouble is, they have a good sound ( i.e. formula) and run it into the ground. When they try to lighten it up and add some space into their riffheavy, gutteral compositions, they come up with the horribly lame metal-ballad “Not Falling,” or the thuggish sub-Korn mess of “-1.” Bleah. I suppose if I were 14 years old again, and mad at Mom and Dad, I might find something viable in Mudvayne's formulaic rock songs. But as it stands, this one's pretty friggin' dismal. And that's not to mention their cover of the Police's “King Of Pain.”

-- Rob 'Real Metal' Wickett