Menticide – Der Meister (Digital EP – Scanner / Dark Dimensions)
Nearly 20 years after their only album to date, “N.M.E.”, the Swedish duo Menticide strikes back hard. Christiaan Riemslag—best known for his involvement in Pouppée Fabrikk—and Johan Damm, former frontman of Dupont, return with this new release consisting of a title track, a kind of B-side, a cover version, and two additional alternate versions of the title song.
Menticide has simply remained true to itself; time has no effect on good old EBM. This is pure vintage EBM, driven by heavy, dark bass lines that instantly recall Pouppée Fabrikk, complemented by raw sounds and a hard, pounding beat. All songs—except for the cover—are performed in German. The result is a powerful title track with two fantastic alternative edits, an even stronger B-side track—which, of course, isn’t really a B-side—and a daring yet successful EBM adaptation of Fad Gadget’s “Ricky’s Hand”, featuring none other than Robert Enforsen of Elegant Machinery.
This is a very strong comeback, and I sincerely hope a new album will follow. If you want, I can also tighten it into a slightly more punchy review style (the kind often used in Dark-Wave/EBM magazines). Rating: (8½).
Listen to: “Der Meister – 12” Remix”:
https://scanner-dd.bandcamp.com/track/der-meister-12-remix
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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