Review Summary: An overlooked industrial rock gem.
In the wake of
Nine Inch Nails’ newfound popularity, record labels scrambled to sign every industrial rock group they could find, hoping to discover the next Trent Reznor. Bands that played a mixture of alternative rock and industrial, such as
Gravity Kills and
Stabbing Westward found mainstream acceptance, and industrial went from being an obscure genre for outcasts to something played on rock radio alongside Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots.
Unfortunately, not all of the newly-formed Industrial Rock groups found success, and in the late 90’s, the mainstream became fixated on a style called Nu-metal, espoused by groups like Limp Bizkit and Korn. Although groups such as
Filter and Nine Inch Nails continued to maintain high profiles, countless other bands faded into obscurity. One such band was Tucson AZ’s Machines of Loving Grace. The band was formed in 1989 and recorded 3 Studio albums, as well as an EP and “Golgotha Tenement Blues”, which appeared on The Crow original soundtrack.
During the recording of their 2nd album, “Concentration”, MOLG was:
Scott Benzel – Vocals
Mike Fisher – Keys
Stuart Koopers – Guitar/Bass
Brad Kemp – Drums
On “Concentration”, Machines of Loving Grace play a mixture of alternative rock and industrial that owes as much to
The Smashing Pumpkins as to
Nine Inch Nails. One can also hear elements of Drum and Bass (“Perfect Tan”), Dance (“Content?”), 80’s Synth-pop (“Limiter”), and Middle-Eastern music (“Trigger for Happiness”). Vocalist Scott Benzel has a fantastic range that can go from a distorted growl to a Dave Gahan-esque croon and back again. The lyrics are extremely catchy and deal with the futuristic, dystopian themes found in films like Blade Runner and 88mm. Benzel even pauses to take a shot at himself in the beginning of “Trigger for Happiness”, growling:
“And if I could kill without guilt or sin, there’d soon be a lot less record executives”
The music itself is fantastic as well, Stuart Koopers lays down a thick bass groove as Mike Fisher’s synth lines go from twinkling synth-pop melodies to aggressive EBM riffs, while a mixture of live and sampled drums keep the beat. Some songs set out to crush skulls at breakneck speed with thrashy riffs and harsh vocals, while others move at a slower pace, allowing the band’s pop sensibilities to shine. Unfortunately, some of the slower songs, such as “Ancestor Cult” and “Albert Speer” seem to wander about aimlessly. It would seem that an album drawing from so many different genres would turn into an ungainly mess, but somehow, Benzel & Co. managed to take all these influences and turn them into a cohesive album of primo Industrial-Rock. MOLG’s next album, “Gilt”, would see them eschewing keyboards in favor of more guitars, but “Concentration” still stands as an overlooked alt/industrial gem.
Recommended:
Perfect Tan
Trigger for Happiness
Butterfly Wings
