Before I launch into the review, let me get one thing off of my chest: RACKETS AND DRAPES ARE NOT A MARILYN MANSON RIP-OFF! There, now I can proceed. . .
The Sick and the Beautiful is a limited-edition CD EP that the band released as a way to keep their ravenous fans at bay while they record their follow-up to Candyland. As an EP, this is waaaay cool. I don't know how they manage to freak me out as they do, but they do! In a good way, mind you. The guitars shriek, the keyboards add that little bit of ooky-ness, and the song topics really go in directions that I haven't seen other Christian bands go.
Let's start at the beginning. "Mommy Dearest" is a short, one-minute little intro dealing with child abuse. Up next is "Plastic Jesus", a song dealing with idols that Christians can all-too-often set up in place of our true risen Saviour. "Kill Yourself" uses suicide as a figurative metaphor to putting to death the fleshly, worldly desires and following Christ as He called us to- by taking up our crosses and crucifying ourselves daily. "Love With A Fist" makes an appearance on here, in a cool Haunted House remix version, simply (I think) better than the original on Candyland. "XXX" deals with the problem of pornography. And, to sweeten the pot, so to speak, there's a fifteen minute-plus pseudo-interview called "Storytime With Rackets And Drapes" that you need to hear to believe (sample: "Will you be doing any covers of country songs on the new album, and which one?" Kandy: "Definitely not." Larve: "Achy-Breaky Heart.")
Listen, the whole "sounds like Marilyn Manson" tag just doesn't do the band justice. If you're into Alice Cooper-type theatrics and would like to see a Christian band tackle the hard topics in a very, very Biblically sound way, Rackets & Drapes is for you. The Sick and the Beautiful, as a release from the band, is very solid in and of itself. This deserves to be part of your R&D collection, no doubt. . .
8.5/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #79Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThis band takes the tension felt in the shadows of our dysfunctional society and screams out in pain accompanied by guitars that convey the same feeling. The point gets across. The sick and twisted sounds of this band feel so good with lots of volume. This six-song EP (The Sick and the Beautiful) is a sneak preview at two songs from their upcoming Trick or Treat album ("Plastic Jesus" and "Kill…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by sesspoolthe intro is cool. the album artwork is much better and a much darker look than Candyland. from my listens to Candyland, i had expected more of the same cheesiness, more of the odd lyrics, and more of the same type of riffs. for the most part... i was right. this ep is actually mixed better than the album (i thought). the first actual song is 'Plastic Jesus'. this song made a cool point. while i…Similar sounding releases
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