Written By: Jason Coldiron(Rock/Metal Editor)
Ok, so I can't pretend to have an opinion about anything related to the lyrics of this band, as they are in another language. I can, however, say that they rock like bastards out of hell. They display all the elements of trademark thrash metal, including shredding guitars, double- bass drums and heavy screaming. I don't need to know what they are saying to be moved by the music and to rock out.
When it comes to their DVD... wow... just wow. This is an incredible artistic presentation, the likes of which I've never seen before. The videos are so out there in some cases that I have no idea what is going on. I am impressed by the art. At the same time, in most cases, it is so bizarre that I'm not sure if there is even a method to it or if there's a story being told. I will go through track by track with my thoughts and observations.
Vinushka - Wicked imagery of WWII. Japanese soldiers goose- stepping. Nuclear bomb images. 12- box scrolling graphics. Shredding guitars and a lead singer in a warehouse decked out in Adidas gear. This video seemed weird until I heard and saw more of the DVD.
Dozing Green - Sweet guitar intro. The band playing and hanging out and jamming in a warehouse. Imagery of dolls being burned and cut up.
Glass Skin - An amazing CGI village, looks like a really good video game. The lead singer is topless in the snow. My girlfriend approves of this video.
Reiketsu Nariseba - A very Marilyn Manson-ish feel to this video. 50's pin- up girls. Hindu Elephants. A series of floating eyes. Lots of tongues being chopped off. Red backdrop with white spiderwebs. The music is pounding metal and kicks serious ass.
Agitated Screams of Maggots - Fish intestines morph into a half man, half woman being of some kind. A small child stomps on them and takes her schoolbag out the door. A naked claymation man wraps her up. I have no idea what this all means.
Grief - The heaviest song on the DVD. Takes place in a meat- packing plant where there are bodies hanging everywhere. Images of torturing a girl hanging on a meat rack.
Ryoujoku No Ame - An underground dungeon. Sadism. Masochism. A costume party? A coke daze? A duct- taped penis.
Cleaver Sleazoid - The singer has Manson eyes. A gigantic refrigerator. Pig- headed people. Barb wire.
Red Soil - An image of Jesus Christ. The virgin Mary. Home made machines. Hands clawing out of the earth. Armless statues of naked women. Compared to the rest of the DVD, this almost seems like a normal video.
The DVD closes with three alternate version videos of 'Cleaver Sleazoid', 'Agitated screams of Maggots', and 'Conceived Sorrow.' They are mostly just videos of the band in the warehouse.
This entire DVD is beyond weird. I don't know how to get across the strangeness of these videos. That said, I absolutely appreciate and love the artistic value of them. I love art. This DVD, while out there, is very artistic and has the background music of a fantastic metal band. I was often confused by the imagery, but not in a bad way. The way you walk around a fancy art gallery. You look at many of the pictures and have no idea what you're looking at. You don't understand all the wavy lines, etc., but you know that a lot of thought went into it. You know that it is art. You know that it is great, even if you can't fully appreciate why. I thought this DVD was great and I will watch it again at some point.
I give the video 3 guns and recommend it to anyone with the eye of an artist and the ear of a metal fan.
