Derision Cult – Charlatans Inc.
Derision Cult – Charlatans Inc.
South Street Dungeon
Release Date: 14/09/2021
Running Time: 31:10
Review by Wallace Magri
8/10
It’s been a while since I wrote my last review for an Industrial Metal band album, just because I was compelling myself to listen to other musical styles, aiming to refresh my creativity, and to test my capacity to put myself out of my musical comfort zone.
But this hiatus was abruptly put down when “Moral Hygiene”, Ministry’s latest album was released, in October, and I got completely stuck into it. I’ve loved Ministry since the early nineties, so I inevitably dove all the way down into Ministry’s back catalog right after that and, suddenly, I was reading once again Al’s obnoxious biography, “Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen”. And, as you can imagine, Industrial Metal was, and is, all around my mind once again.
And, after listening to Derision Cult’s latest release, “Charlatans Inc.”, I realized that I wasn’t the only one who was listening to a lot of Ministry through the last three decades. David McAnally – the mastermind behind Derision Cult – was into it too, that is for sure!
What is heard on “Charlatans Inc.” are 8 straight Industrial Metal songs, full of white noise’s programmed layers, guided by martial drum machines sustaining the listener’s heart beats over 120 bpms, completed with lots of raw Thrash Metal riffs, and distorted vocal lines, that roar angry verses against the mass media’s alienation techniques.
Derision Cult is a one man band, formed by the already mentioned David McAnally, who, in order to record “Charlatans Inc” quartered himself into a home studio somewhere around Chicago, surrounded by his electronic noisy machines toys!
This will be no surprise to Industrial Metal fans, with the trademark of the musical style consisting of creating songs that echo the mental state of an artist through programming samples and mixing techniques that are kind of a soundtrack to the protest lyrics that draw from their minds through their throats.
Maybe the fact that I was listening to a lot of Ministry prior to “Charlatans Inc” influenced my impression that David McAnally, at least musically, hasn’t challenged himself to bring some self-identity to the mixture, making the songs very predictable and similar.
This album doesn’t hang around though. Its total running time is around 30 minutes, with songs executed on full speed. One of it’s good points is that it boasts competent mixing and production throughout the album.
As I said before, the album is pretty predictable, but I could quote as highlights ‘Call a Man God’ that flirts a lot with Thrash Metal sections and has a couple of interesting rhythmical transitions, and cool sampled interventions. On ‘This is Control’ the Harsh Industrial elements are more explored, with hypnotic drums and bass conducting it, helped by a wall of heavy guitar riff attacks, leading into the next song, ‘Charlatans’, another typical Industrial Metal song.
Highly recommend to Ministry fans, especially the ones who enjoy the “Aniimositisomina (2003) / “From Beer to Eternety”, (2013) era. But, if you are looking for some fresh air into the Industrial Metal style, there’s few to expect on “Charlatan’s Inc”.
TRACKLISTING:
01.The Great Reset
02. Call a Man God
03. Amplify
04. Worlds Collide
05. This is Control
06. Charlatans
07. View From The Cross
08. I.VI.MMXXI
LINE-UP:
Masterminded by Dave McAnally
LINKS:
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