"Spin The Bottle" EP

Review Date: 12/15/10

Exactly 2 years since the formation of The Dark Party, Acey Slade and the Dark Party released an EP whose title depicted life as it has been for this band since the very beginning. Much as the childhood game is a nerve-racking mess of emotions, Acey’s Spin The Bottle EP is a mixed bag of treats, the kind of which you will never see from any other artist.

'Spin The Bottle' was available solely on The Dark Party’s Reptile House Tour of the UK, and was sent out to those who Acey felt had been key in the success of the band. I feel extremely privileged to have been included in that group of people; therefore this CD review is not quite your usual CD review. Today marks Acey’s birthday…and this is my gift.

Since the day The Dark Party album was released, the demand for new tracks from Acey’s legions of loyal fans has been overwhelming, and the opening track ‘Suicide Lullaby’, even in demo form, is more than enough to subdue your thirst for more. It’s a classic Dark Party track in the sense that it’s upbeat nature and guitar driven choruses focus quite intently around Acey’s unique vocal performance. Guitarist, Andee Blacksugar, makes his presence known from the very beginning, by shining through with his own signature guitar style and backing vocals that we have grown to love from Andee’s own project, Black Sugar Transmission. ‘Suicide Lullaby’ is the epitome of the groove-based rock that The Dark Party is all about.
The concept of the Spin The Bottle EP was to include 1 new track, 1 remix, 1 live recording and 3 cover tracks. The 3 covers were chosen by each band member (as they were in between drummers during the recording), which gives you a much better understanding of Acey, Andee and bassist Per-C, and exactly who each of them actually are.

We start with Acey’s chosen cover, which is a version of the Jellyfish classic ‘Jimmy’s Fantasy’, which takes us back to the origins of pop punk music which quite clearly helped shape Acey into the man that he is today. Using many of the same delay effects and varying vocals which are present through Acey’s music, The Dark Party have made this track their own. It’s the deformed child of Acey’s first band, Vampire Love Dolls and Andee’s former group of self proclaimed misfits, PoP*StAr*KiDs.

The one song, which caught my eye, was Per-C’s choice of the old Hanoi Rocks track ‘Underwater World’. Being a huge fan of the Finnish glam rock icons, I knew this would be something special…and I was right. 'Underwater World' is a straight out glitter glam recording, a sound that this band has undeniably mastered. Exchange Michael Monroe’s clean high-pitched voice for Acey’s punkish scrawl and the track already has a mind of it’s own, yet with Per-C’s stylistic mix of pop, punk and glam rock bass lines, they really take this song into the realms of the unknown.

The third and final cover track present on Spin The Bottle is Andee’s choice of the Plexi classic, ‘Dayglo’. I don’t think you need to be told by this point, that this track is something special. Andee’s electronic/pop influence again transforms this slower paced three and a half minutes of audio bliss into a B-side that will inevitably go down in Dark Party history. Leaving ‘Dayglo’ until the finale of the EP was a stroke of genius, as the staggered formation of the song allows for all 3 members of The Dark Party to show off their talents, and show off they do!

In addition to these exciting new recordings from a band which is bound to steal your hearts as well as your souls, Acey Slade & the Dark Party have added in two other additions to this unreleased musical debauchery. Following the trend of the ‘Sex, Murder, Art, Baby!’ and ‘She Brings Down The Moon’ EP’s, we are treated to yet another remix of ‘She Brings Down The Moon’. This unusual remix sounds like the theme music to a 20 year old video game, and does nothing but add a huge element of fun to this already enthralling 6 track EP.

Finally I’m brought to the live version of Acey Slade & the Dark Party’s cover one of the greatest songs to ever be released, ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ by The Cult. This staple for all Acey Slade fans has become an anthem for The Dark Party, and hearing it live is almost as fulfilling as actually experiencing the destructive pleasures by witnessing the onstage shenanigans that only The Dark Party can exhibit.

Well there it is, the 'Spin The Bottle' EP…for all those that haven’t heard it, keep searching! It’s worth every second.

Happy Birthday Acey!

Mortiis

"Perfectly Defect"

Review Date: 10/25/10

For almost a decade, Mortiis has been perplexing audiences around the globe with his intriguing stage apparel and characteristic darkness. Both of which have made this interesting individual stand out, from the very beginning.

In a move that has become virtually unheard of in today’s music industry, Mortiis took everyone by surprise with the announcement of a free album to be released in October 2010. This record took some of us unaware, as the last thing we expected was another release before the impending drop of ‘The Great Deceiver’. Because of the short notice, we didn’t understand the full potential on ‘Perfectly Defect’ until it was available to download.

‘Perfectly Defect’ is an expansion of the musical styles that had drawn so much attention to the former mask-wielding Norwegian. With a very dark and ambient feel, it is still very much a classic Mortiis release, yet the emphasis on instrumental tracks is focused upon in a much heavier state. For years the only criticism that has followed his mysterious self, is the fact that the vocal tracks have sometimes struggled to keep up with the sheer quality of the musicianship we’ve come to love. In saying that though, the vocals on ‘Perfectly Defect’ have been refined and mastered to a degree, which can finally be looked upon in wonderment.
While listening to ‘Perfectly Defect’, it is nigh impossible to find a fault with the music at hand. Tracks like ‘Sole Defeat’ and the title track both incorporate a heavy industrial feel, which has become the trademark of Mortiis since his inception into the worldwide musical community. The track, ‘Perfectly Defect’, in itself combines all the elements of previous releases and takes them to a new level, with the technical aspect of the music having advanced at a rather alarming rate.

The title track operates at a much slower tempo than what we have become used to from Mortiis. But if the natural progression of musical artists in today’s society is anything to go by, the mere fact that Mortiis is able to write such an unchallengeable five minutes of soul stopping ambience and almost faultless electronic variables, only helps him stand alone as a rare talent.

The album as a whole is best described as a soundtrack to an apocalypse, it’s dark and heavy vibe and all over destructive feel leaves you with a sense of utmost admiration for all that Mortiis stands for. From the quiet and somewhat heartfelt industrial orchestral style of ‘Halo Of Arms’, to the angst ridden ‘Thieving Bastards’, we are really treated to an all you can eat buffet of industrial rock.

Following the trend of the record, having a majority of the tracks reaching the five-minute mark, the last two tracks, ‘The Absolution’ and ‘Sensation Of Guilt’ act as an extended finale to a deceivingly long album. Very few eight song releases have the sustainability to reach the inevitable forty-minute mark. Yet Mortiis has managed to incorporate all respective elements of his music into the presented tracks. Adding any more to the release would have been a disastrous overkill, which has been expertly avoided on ‘Perfectly Defect’.

In a world of rock and roll clones and reality television pop stars, the alternative community has been searching for an icon to help lead us into the next generation of unique melodies and be an orchestrator for the future of gothic music…finally I think the ‘Parasite God’ himself has given us this beam of light, a lifeline if you will into an unknown, yet exciting extension of opportunity.