pMad – I In Power
pMad – I In Power
Self-Released
Release Date: 01/05/23
Running Time: 27:14
Review by Dark Juan
9/10
Salutations, I am Dark Juan and I am a happy bunny today because I received a t-shirt from Breton Industrial band Fange and a hotly anticipated package arrived from the Emerald Isle – this being the latest offering from Irish polymath Paul Dillon and his one-man Post Punk endeavour, pMad, on compact disc. Thank you so much for the signed copies, Paul. You are a true gentleman indeed!
We had better hope I like the fucking record because he’s been so nice, eh?
You will all, I do not doubt, recall that Dark Juan reviewed pMad’s last album and really quite enjoyed the full on explosion of Gothic Rock he subjected his brainspace to (https://www.ever-metal.com/2022/12/09/pmad-who-why-where-what/ being the link to that EXCELLENT piece of journalistic script should you be so inclined) and therefore wrote a glowing review.
Dark Juan has started up the Platter of Splatter ™ and is currently filling the street outside Crow Cottage with oily black diesel smoke (I live in Yorkshire and therefore its either burning old dinosaur bones in liquid form or setting fires to run things seeing as everyone south of Birmingham seems to think that we are still in the Dark Ages and electricity isn’t a thing up here) to power its puissant majesty and “I In Power” has been placed upon it to be subjected to Dark Juan’s dubious critical ear… Are we to be beguiled by Gothic stylings or annoyed by a musical clusterfuck? We shall find out together with the ramblings below:
The album opens with ‘Confession’ and it is immediately clear that pMad’s sound has evolved from the bass heavy Goth of “Who Why Where What?” in favour of a more nuanced sound. Don’t get me wrong, “I In Power” is still ubergothic but there is a more New Wave, Electronic influence at work that dials down the 12-string electric guitar, cheroot and ridiculous coiffure style Goff Rock in favour of something more polished and streamlined. It begins with a choppy set of strings and a simple beat before the stark, distinct, baritone of Paul overlays the music and then during the break there is choral singing – it reminds your correspondent of fellow Irish artists VNV Nation in their quieter moments crossed with Duran Duran, of all things. There is a real change of gear when ‘Down’ kicks in though, and this is a much more classic Gothic, Post Punk sounding song with ethereal guitar lines swirling underneath a more distorted guitar sound and a pace that has picked up significantly and a real Joy Division dynamic in the delivery of the vocals and the whole song has a vibe of those erstwhile Mancunian miserablists, but with a little more polished panache to go with the wrenching angst.
We return to the world of Electronic Goth with ‘Electric’ and it’s fucking fantastic opening line, “Stroll the streets with the swagger of a serial killer…” Sweeping electronics and a pulsating Electronic bassline are the order of the day here – the VNV Nation reference comes back into the head of your faithful reporter, combined with the Futurepop of Ladytron and the 80s feel of Vaporwave for a song that successfully amalgamates classic sounds with stark, shocking modernity and a really Spartan, heartbroken simplicity to the whole slow, sorrowful piece. ‘Fire’ changes the mood again, with a much angrier dynamic, the drums distorted slightly and further forward in the mix and the song references the Goff greats like The Mission, but with electronics whooshing away over the complex, overdubbed guitar work on the chorus.
So far, so fucking awesome! Excuse me for a moment, the Dread Lord Igor Egbert Bryan Clown-Shoe Cleavage-Hoover has summoned me for Fight Club. Yes, I know I have broken the first rule of Fight Club, but he’s a dog and he a) doesn’t care about rules, puny human, and b) fucking loves a good old-fashioned straightener with Dark Juan.
Sorry about that. He won’t settle until we have had a good fight. Let us continue…
‘Fury’, being the next song on the album, is a fucking angry piece of music and reminds Dark Juan of a slightly less insane version of Aggrotech gods Combichrist. Snapping guitar work fights against harsh Electronics and it is a snarling, vicious beast of a song, all vitriol and fanged danger, with the vocals having a curiously detached feel, in the manner of that ineffable calmness you feel one millisecond before you absolutely lose your shit and lay waste to every fucker around you with fists, feet, teeth and machete. It is jerky and spasmodic and feels dangerous. ‘Missing’ returns to the classic Goth blueprint of chiming guitar, driving bass and clear, melancholy vocals (“Nobody’s out there, nobody’s waiting”) that tug at the heartstrings (or they would, if Dark Juan had a fucking heart and not some hard black stone where it should be).
The next song is called ‘Opinion’ and if New Order had written it, it would have been a fucking massive hit single. The sparse feel of this song is very reminiscent of the New Wave and Pop sensibilities of that seminal Manc band and the bass and guitar sound exactly like Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner are playing them… This unsurprisingly is a Very Good Thing as far as Dark Juan is concerned.
Paul Dillon has one more surprise for us on the album closer ‘Sword’. This is because he has decided that pMad can do Alt Metal too, and this tune references the likes of Living Colour and Therapy? as it stomps along, gleefully trampling lesser bands beneath its combat booted feet and swearing cheerfully at appalled passers-by, and it is a good, high-energy last song that leaves you wanting more.
Yeah, so this is a bit of a winner as far as Dark Juan is concerned. Running the emotional gauntlet from heartbroken to absolutely apoplectic, “I In Power” has something for everyone who is into the darker side of music, be it raw emotion or guitar driven rage. A major point in favour of the record is that the production is pin sharp and crystal clear – as you might remember from pMad’s last review, a criticism I had was that the bass sometimes smothered everything. This album sounds decidedly more polished and, dare I say it (course I fucking do!), professional sounding.
The Patented Dark Juan Blood Splat Rating System (An córas rátála fola Dark Juan paitinnithe, don mheitheal Éireannach) hereby awards pMad 9/10 for a record it has been looking forward to for some considerable time and is a fucking peach of an album. If you are into Post Punk, Gothic Rock and Dark Electronica, Paul Dillion has you rather luxuriously covered.
The dirty bastard.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Confession
02. Down
03. Electric
04. Fire
05. Fury
06. Missing
07. Opinion
08. Sword
LINE-UP:
Paul Dillon – The man does everything on the record and I am ashamed because I can’t even write reviews properly, let alone play music.
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Dark Juan and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
