Great... or bad, no no, GREAT
B. E Jackson | Pennsylvania | 09/06/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This Magma album is either the coolest thing ever recorded, or the worst thing ever laid down on tape. I can't tell! It all depends on how I feel the day I listen to it.
The entire album is nothing but chants and snappy vocal melodies that seem to loop over and over and OVER and OVER again. Now, the appeal of this is that, the band wanted to build a theme (a DARK theme, that reminds me of those old Castlevania video games) and while it works, it's REALLY not an album for everyone. Not everyone will appreciate the way everything repeats a hundred times... but I think you'll admit what the band is trying to do here is just downright awesome. What's amazing is how the band doesn't let up at ALL to give you time to catch your breath.
What's highly unusual about the whole thing is how there's *nothing* from the 70's that sounds ANYTHING like this. The way the man and female singer frequently go back and forth singing brief melodies, and more often than not, flat out SCREAMING, is really something special. This doesn't sound like the kind of album that was recorded in a studio. More like a castle, right after casting a bunch of spells.
Despite these (seemingly) looping brief chants that continue to repeat enough times to make your head spin, I can't remember them when the music's over. That's not because the music isn't memorable- no way. This is without a doubt a memorable album. It HAS to be, because it's original. It has its own sound and style. For that alone, it's something to appreciate.
I THINK I can't remember how the music goes when the album is finished because some of the themes repeat so much you begin to stop paying attention to them, and start paying attention to what's going on in the background. That's alright with me. And hey, there *are* plenty of good chants, screams and melodies despite the fact my complaining would indicate otherwise.
This is just truly something incredible. Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh IS a masterpiece. It's a 5 star album. If you're looking for something that's unlike anything you've ever heard before, get this album now."
Track Listings (7) - Disc #1
