Search - Mentallo & Fixer :: Algorythum

Algorythum is the fifth full-length from the Texas industrial band Mentallo & the Fixer, and Gary Dassing's first without the help of his brother Dwayne. The band seems to be going in a slightly different direction as a result of the split, but the news is good: though it's one of M&TF's more experimental albums, Algorythum is also one of their better efforts. Musically, its spaciness has a good deal in common with the weirder moments of Skinny Puppy's Bites (think extended passages of ambient noise and synth warbling), but Dassing has added something new to the usual industrial mix of dark soundscapes and sequenced bass synth: live drums. The effect is a suitably aggressive and solid groove, if not quite a match for the deep layers of electronic percussion M&TF used on earlier discs such as Revelations 23 or No Rest for the Wicked. You can really hear the difference in tracks such as "Systematik Ruin," its atmospheric excesses grounded by its funk-infused beat. The most interesting moment on Algorythum, however, has to be "Resonant Echo," a lyrical electro-folk song that sees Dassing forgo the distortion effects in favor of a whispered delivery that considerably ups the intensity ante. This is not your everyday industrial album--and that's what makes it worth hearing. --Steve Landau