Don't think the rating has anything to do with the fact that I happen to be a ravenous, drooling fan of the band. No, the reason for the high rating is because Trick or Treat, compared with their first release Candyland, is better. Tons better. Better production, better musicianship, better packaging, better spooky-ness. . . Trick or Treat is to Candyland as the steak and shrimp dinner at the local steak house is to the Big Mac combo meal. Not that a Big Mac is bad, but given the choice, man. . .
On Trick or Treat, Rackets & Drapes seem to be more and more resembling that mechanism they used on Malcolm McDowell to force him to watch the behavior modification film in A Clockwork Orange: Take, for example, the song "Medicine Head". It's drug addiction from the viewpoint of the addict. It starts off with the phrase "When I grow up, I wanna be a junkie", then continues to shock the listener by stating "Won't someone kill me, I want to die / I can't find freedom in suicide". Heavy? Yes. Considering the untold numbers of people locked in a cell of addiction, "Medicine Head" forces the Christian listening to it to see what it really is, and leaves it up to the listener to do something about it. "On Your Knees" equates being in bondage to sin with the S&M lifestyle: "Tie, tie, tie you down, the chains you wear they keep you bound, too long / Slap, slap, slap your lip when the master cracks the whip, you crawl". "Plastic Jesus" is a Haunted Remix version from the original found on the Sick and the Beautiful e.p. It's better, I think, because of the (what sounds like) a live studio drummer instead of the usual drum machine.
I'm not going to spoil the rest of the CD for you. You'll have to purchase Trick or Treat, at your own risk, to check out all of the other goodies. . .
9.5/10
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by sesspoolcoming into the album with the knowledge and history of Sick and the Beautiful and the Candyland cd's... i had some high expectations... just because these guys rule. the intro, i believe to be the best intro rackets has ever done. and you gotta love the name of "the asylum" and its meaning... now... as far as the music... (and don't tell Kandy i said this) i feel this album makes a bigger point…Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by D_ListerDid I like Candyland, the first release by Rackets & Drapes? Yes I did, however it's not the type of CD that finds itself spinning constantly in my CD player. No Candyland is certainly the type of CD that I simply have to be 'in the mood for.' I think mainly it's the combination of a musical style that's not my absolute favorite combined with the mediocre production. Well Trick or Treat fixed all…Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by SORGThis band has slowly won their way to my heart over the last few years with their dark and sometimes chaotic message. I have not heard the "controversial European version" of this disc yet but the tunes on the American version of Trick or Treat are definitely a treat, especially to those in the industrial and goth scenes. The music is really not that much different from the Marilyn Manson…Similar sounding releases
2001Brain:FAQBrainstorming
2000Broken FreeConducting the Sunrise
1999P.O.D.The Fundamental Elements of Southtown
2002ShowbreadPromo EP
2005Doug PinnickEmotional Animal
2001East WestThe Light in Guinevere's GardenMore from Rackets & Drapes
1998Candyland
1999The Sick and the Beautiful
2002Love Letters from Hell
1996Inside, Outside, Upside Down
