Generation
Brutal Reality
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
What we have smothered over this album are some very heavy guitar-dominated grooves and killer drum sound, especially on the Zeppelin-esque track "Nothing To Give" (like "When The Levee Breaks"). The lead-off track (one of the most important songs on any album--especially with a new band) has a very cool 'n' heavy riff. It's incessant, but doesn't cross the line into total techno-ville, if you know what I mean. It still sounds very heavy--like the blasphemous Ministry tune "Jesus Built My Hot Rod." "Retrovision" takes it up one notch with a thrash metal speed snare drum attack. "I Live In Flesh" slows the pace down with a melodious riff that starts off with keyboards and then a wall of sound (but turned down) rhythm section carries the beat like a Van Halen party/talk-over song. This may be the best setting for these lyrics, which bring new life to the 2,000 year old adage: "I do what I don't want to do and I don't do what I want to do." Check it out: "I need to open my eyes and stop acting surprised, because as sure as this world will continue to turn/When I jump into the fire it's going to burn/I know what's right in my soul/But I fight not to give up control/I live in flesh/It's a tomb of my will/I live in flesh/It's beginning to kill/With the nature of sin/I live in flesh/I am a slave within...I can tell what you're doing to me/And I must say I don't really like it/Well, part of me does/I can't tell a lie/But that is the part that's supposed to die...I know I'm supposed to run/But there's a part of me that wants to stay and have some fun/I live in flesh/I cannot feed the desire/I live in flesh/I need to run from the fire." Cool lyrics, eh? Musically, the highlight of the album has to be the classic tone that Trouble guitarist Bruce Franklin lays down here. It's big, fat and loud! "Hunger" showcases it in a staccato riff that's pretty darn tough. The lead screams a flurry of sound for a few out of control seconds that match the disenchantment feel of the song. Generation. They're really not an industrial band so much as a real heavy music band, but their industrial "roots" do get the best of 'em for about a third of the album. When it comes to industrial, I can get a real headache after 15 minutes or so, but I can listen to this disc three times in a row before the migraine pain starts to knock.