21 : JULY : 06
Mick Mercer reviews Krankhaus :
Original Review
ANGELSPIT - KRANKHAUS (Angelspit)
You want flies with that?
Now
this is more like it. After a few days of reviewing records drenched
in modern technology which arent delivering the goods, Angelspit
march into the sonic postal system, and simply take control. We
then flail wildly, as they rarely forget to deploy a smart melody,
with a cool detachment just as likely to ease through a song as
venom being distilled then spat with precision. A duo that involves
others in the masterplan, theyve created a superb album, but
still have a way to go because their faults are clear. Well
come to those later, but for the moment lets celebrate the
adventurous, and imaginative tumult you can experience.
A La Mode, A La Mort is minxy
technopop with raw, filthy energy, a haunting, halter-top chorus,
and sidling past the angry synth smackdown a warm, wriggling vocal
attack. Vena Cava has scalded, furious vocals
and brilliantly lyrical snapshots to accompany the grim, gnashing
beat, and Elixir is another angry stamping display
with engagingly memorable lines and heavily undulating framework.
100% is gorgeous. Televise
my poison, spitting at the screen / Keep the masses deluded, with
fabricated dreams / Powdered God in a bag, from the Vatican / I
want you to fuck off, as hard as you can. Thats
them on the naughty step all year! Juicy then
calms it down but still with a rigid tone around the sensitive,
shape shifting words and Flesh Stitched Onto A Frame
is where a problem emerges. Maybe this has a place in their overall
concept for this record but to me this is idle twangy strumming,
that accomplishes nothing beyond irritation. Luckily something instantly
sweeps in to make amends.
With this bass I thee shake,
goes the chunky intro to Make You Sin, after
which cool verbal clips are loaded one after the other in a slick,
pulsating little bastard of a tune. Get Even
continues the heaving harangue on the unsuspecting, but they needed
to incorporate more changes than one minute vocal annex included
here. The relentless attack is great but it can start to blunt their
overall effect, although with get mad/get even stanzas it brings
to mind the late great Age Of Chance and thats always a good
thing.
Dead Letter blasts with a raw
riff burrowing into direct dart of a seething club pulse, with a
staccato delivery that then gathers into a much tougher, rasping
chorus and thats a fine touch. Black Wine
moves away into weirder, lighter waters with chiming instrumentation
but without a new take on existing vocal sentiments it doesnt
make much sense in instrumental form. It isnt adding something,
its presenting a separate view. Scars And Stripes
shows they can introduce a more bloated, slimy rhythm, with sighing,
swivelling singing that has a gracious feel but again it doesnt
quite delineate its content sharply enough.
Create Desire sees them sweep
back onto mad antics that gyrate beautifully, and I love the words
chaos injects, rip apart, create desire, eat your heart.
Admittedly for the first few plays I thought they were singing,
rip a pie, create desire and was flummoxed. It has a
fluted, grating mass which impresses. Wolf goes
on the offensive but with a less mottled broodiness, follows its
predecessor with a munching fury and then into the closing Wreak
Havoc, there to send you off with an invitation to riot
and unleash Hell. It rattles along sharply but without the infernal
impact of the opening tracks, but thats only a minor quibble.
Overall this is a fantastic debut from a band who
have taken their time wisely (right down to the exquisite artwork)
to offer musical malice aforethought and if they can find a way
to vary the sharp rhythmical curses they unleash its going
to take them somewhere fantastic. At the moment similar stark beats
hinders the chance of songs growing, leaving things a little too
obvious, but thats seeing them compared to others and where
they stand in the overall scheme of things. Judging this record
on its own merits its striking, and full of tempting timebombs
youll be grateful to have surging through your mind as you
wander nocturnal streets. Strap it on whenever you go out.
http://angelspit.net
great downloads
http://www.myspace.com/krankhaus
- ditto
- Mick
Mercer |