Out via Re:Mission Entertainment is the brand new album by Reign Of Roses. Reign Of Rose is the dark synth side project of Mentallo & The Fixer. The album was originally set for release in 2006 on Rav Dva but due to the passing of Ric Laciak in 2014 it never materialised. The album has now been remastered by Dwayne Dassing in 2024 and is officially out now.

You can order the album here on Bandcamp.

Dwayne Dassing embarked on a new musical journey after parting ways with his brother, Gary. The split marked a departure from the abrasive electro-industrial sound that characterized Mentallo’s music as Dassing sought to create a more organic and elemental sound.

In 2000, Dwayne met singer Scott Berens, who had recently relocated from Reno, Nevada. Their first collaboration led to the creation of the track “Blind”, marking the birth of their new project, Reign of Roses. The duo’s sound combines medieval and ethereal tones with gothic and darkwave influences, integrating Berens’ introspective lyrics with Dassing’s broad range of analog and digital synths.

Reign of Roses debuted with the EP “In Bourbon and in Blood”, featuring tracks like “Blood”, “Reflection” and “Tears of God”. The band later followed up with their debut album, “Reign of Roses”, offering a blend of gothic and darkwave sounds, reflecting themes of rebirth and personal tribulation drawn from Berens’ experiences.

Note that Gary Dassing is mentioned in the credits as drum programmer. The album is dedicated to Ric Laciak.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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“No Rest for the Wicked” is the debut studio album of Mentallo & The Fixer, released in 1992 by Simbiose Records. It now gets a 30th anniversary release via Mentallo Big Cartel and Re:Mission Entertainment in various limited formats holding 4 bonus tracks.

This reissue contains the original seven tracks remastered by JM Mastering.

1992’s “No Rest for the Wicked” was the band first major underground release and while the recording was low-budget it introduced their audience to the band’s dynamic energy and sense of melody. The recording sessions were completed during 1990 and 1991 but the album’s release was stalled for personal reasons by the band, with founding member Gary Dassing discussing the lyrics as being about his sister’s placement in an asylum.

The digital version will contain all twelve tracks from the original CD plus four additional songs from the 1991 “Wreckage + Ruin + & + Regrests + [Redemption]” GPC cassette tape.

Available are also two vinyls, a limited edition in black vinyl and one in silver vinyl, the latter is already completely sold out. The vinyl versions hold the restored original artwork, but also a folded poster autographed by Gary and Dwayne Dassing.

You can order these releases via Mentallo Big Cartel or via the Re:Mission Bandcamp page.

About the album

Mentallo And The Fixer was born from the minds of brothers Gary and Dwayne Dassing in 1988.
The duo began their career earlier by experimenting with traditional rock instruments such as
guitar and drums, but made their focus synthesizers and samplers with their first band
Benestrophe with vocalist Richard Mendez. From that project spouted two tapes worth of
material released via Ras Dva Records as “Sensory Deprivation” and “Auric Fires”. Mentallo And
The Fixer soon formed after Benestrophe went dormant.

Their debut album “No Rest For The Wicked” saw released on Portuguese label Simbiose
Records, whilst also gaining the attention of Zoth Ommog records.

Gary Dassing recalls: “Thirty years have passed since our first release, “No Rest For The Wicked”. Dwayne and I have been fortunate to have kept this band going in some capacity after all these years. Mentallo And The Fixer came about after our first band Benestrophe disbanded due to a number of reasons. Dwayne moved from San Antonio to Austin for better job prospects in the electronics industry. Rich Mendez had other priorities being school and computer programming. I was left to my own devices and began recording tracks on my own, continuing to work on music in the privacy of my home studio, which I dubbed The Churchyard. I had no interest in being a vocalist much less a front man. I decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot. I had nothing to lose and figured the only ones hearing my music, and having to put up with my nonsensical garbling gibberish at the time would be my close friends and parents.

Back in the day, technology was a far cry from what it is today. Our recording methods were quite archaic. Everything was recorded on a standard Teac tape deck. I was monitoring the mix using a Panasonic jambox, and Commodore 64 as our sequencer, taking 15 to 20 minutes to load the program off a floppy disk, a 12 channel Ross mixer which was intended for live sound, load in a 90-minute cassette and hit record.

For these tracks, nothing was structured and everything was recorded on the fly, even the vocals. I would randomly change drum patterns, effects, muting and unmuting synth sounds and levels, etc. The sequencing program would run on a loop, repeating, until I hit the spacebar to stop the song. It was a bit of unwavering controlled chaos. Half of what I was recording vocally was completely improvised. I was trying to capture a feeling, filling up one side of the cassette and selecting the best version.”

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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Re:Mission Entertainment has launched the official merch store for Mentallo And The Fixer.

The Big Cartel site contains such items as autographed box sets from their Alfa Matrix catalog, t-shirt designs; including a double sided silk screen print featuring the original “Where Angels Fear To Tread” album art, a classic red logo t-shirt and the brand new “Judgment” t-shirt. The site also includes limited edition merch for such side projects as Benestrophe and Kitty Kosmonaut.

You can access the official merch store right here.

And here’s a teaser of what to expect.

About Mentallo and the Fixer

Mentallo and the Fixer (sometimes written as Mentallo & the Fixer) is the project name used by Texan electro-industrial musicians Gary Dassing (Mentallo) and Dwayne Dassing (The Fixer) from 1988 to 1999, and by Gary Dassing alone from 1999 to the present day. The band has several releases on the American record label, Metropolis Records, and also on the Belgian label Alfa Matrix (including side-projects).

The band is named after two Marvel Comics characters.

The Dassing brothers first began experimenting with music by the means of more traditional rock music instruments, such as guitar and drums. However, by the time the two formed their first band Benestrophe with vocalist Richard Mendez, the instruments of choice became synthesizers and samplers.

After parting ways with Mendez, the two brothers began work as Mentallo & The Fixer. Their first album release “No Rest for the Wicked” saw a limited 500-copy run on vinyl and a CD by the Portuguese label Simbiose records, and also gained the attention of Talla 2XLC from Zoth Ommog records. Zoth Ommog released their next two major albums, “Revelations 23” and “Where Angels Fear to Tread”.

Mentallo & The Fixer soon after signed with Metropolis Records with a domestic re-release of their second and third albums as well as a CD of unreleased back catalog material, “Continuum”.

By 1999, Dwayne and Gary agreed to split in order to pursue their own musical directions. Gary continued to use the Mentallo & The Fixer name and released several albums including “Algorythum”, “Love Is the Law”, “Return to Grimpen Ward”, and “Vengeance is Mine”. After “Grimpen”, Mentallo’s album output slowed somewhat, resulting in two albums: “Enlightenment Through a Chemical Catalyst” in 2007 and “Music From the Eather” in 2012, both released by Alfa Matrix.

In September 2014, Mentallo & the Fixer released a 3 CD box titled “Zothera” on Alfa Matrix. It contained two remastered albums from their Zoth Ommog era, namely “Revelations 23” and “Where Angels Fear to Tread”, and a third bonus CD “Apocrypha” with unreleased material including remixes.

After a several year break a new album was recorded, “Arrange The Molecule”, released by Alfa Matrix in 2017.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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Genre/Influences: Electro-industrial, electro-ambient.

Background/Info: Set up in the late 80s by the Dassing brothers (Mentallo & The Fixer) and singer Rich Mendez, Benestrophe released two noticeable albums in the 90s on Ras Dva. Quite recently Gary Dassing found a box with forgotten and previously unreleased material from Benestrophe, which also was the first project from the Gary- and Dwayne Dassing.

Content: Next to previously unknown songs the album also features alternative mixes from familiar songs such as “Pig Butcher”, “Ritual”, “Sleep Tonight”. But the album is first of all a way to get back to the very specific sound created by the Dassings. The sound clearly remind to the complexity they later on revealed as Mentallo & The Fixer. It’s a dark and sophisticated sound, which might appeal to early Skinny Puppy-fans, but with this little extra and very personal characterizing the song of this band. The most sophisticated songs also have something IDM-like.

+ + + : Benestrophe is a band that didn’t get a deserved recognition, but let’s not forget they were active in the late 80s and early 90s when the electro-underground scene was mainly dominated by European formations. This album brings all the intelligence of the Dassing brothers alive. It’s a real pleasure to (re)discover a great song such as “Ritual” in a different version, but also “Sleep Tonight” and “Pig Butcher” (another familiar cut).

– – – : The sound quality is not the most professional one, but this album has to be only seen as a sonic documentary emerging from the Gary Dassing archives.

Conclusion: This album will especially please the fans of Mentallo & The Fixer who will recognize the typical touch and sound that should be more elaborated at Mentallo & The Fixer.

Best songs: “Pig Butcher – Hogwild”, “Sleep Tonight – 8741 Club Mix”, “Ritual – Chinese Graveyard”.

Rate: (7).

Artist: www.facebook.com/bEnESTroPHe

Label: www.alfa–matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

Inferno Sound Diaries

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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Cult industrial music pioneers Mentallo & The Fixer are now reissuing their back-catalogue, fully remastered by Gary Dassing himself, on all digital platforms with Bandcamp being serviced first (and other platforms following in the next weeks).

The reissue series happens via their Alfa Matrix label and includes the releases by their several other electronic-based projects. For the occasion, a new cover artwork has also been designed for each new re-release.

“Return To Grimpen Ward” was released back in 2001 as a remix best-of retrospective spanning the group’s first decade of electro industrial warfare. You can listen to all the tracks below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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For those who don’t know, Benestrophe is the first electronic music project that the Dassing brothers created together with vocalist Richard Mendez. They later created Mentallo & The Fixer and worked as a duo. The brand new digital only release “Turner’s All Night Drugstore (rare & unreleased 1987​-​1997)” features Benestrophe material Gary Dassing found in a box full of old cassettes and DATs tapes while working on the remastering of the complete back-catalogue by Mentallo & The Fixer.

After compiling the mostly unreleased material off these good old master tape treasures he approached Alfa Matrix to release the material which spans the periode between 1987 and 1997.

The release holds 13 tracks, which can now be downloaded via Bandcamp with other digital platforms following in the next weeks. Included are also live tracks, next to demos and other rare material.

You can preview the release below.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com

Out of the blue Alfa Matrix has started a reissue series of the back-catalogue of the cult industrial music pioneers Mentallo & The Fixer and the band’s side-projects Benestrophe and Mainesthai.

The 5 reissues have been fully remastered by Gary Dassing himself and are available now via Bandcamp. In the next weeks all 5 releases will also be available on all other digital platforms. For the occasion, a new artwork cover artwork has also been designed for every new rerelease.

So let’s see what you can expect. Included are the Mentallo & The Fixer albums “Continuum” and “No Rest For The Wicked”. “Continuum” is an album that the Texas-based electro act released as a kind of collection of unreleased material left from the wreckage of the earlier days as Mentallo & The Fixer. “No Rest For The Wicked” is the act’s cult debut album which was later reissued with bonus tracks.

From the side-project Mainesthai you get “Out To Lunch”, the first album released under this moniker. Mainesthai is the project that the Dassing brothers created in 1994 together with vocalist Michael Greene. Although embracing the same harsh complexities as the mother project, Mainesthai was intended to be more melodic and humanistic than Mentallo & The Fixer.

From the side-project Benestrophe we get 2 albums. “Sensory Deprivation” and “Auric Fires” are the first 2 releases of Benestrophe with remastered material taken from the original tapes recorded from early 1989 to 1990. Benestrophe is the first electronic music project that the Dassing brothers created together with vocalist Richard Mendez. They later created Mentallo & The Fixer and worked as a duo.

Below are the releases as they are now available on Bandcamp. Side-Line readers, be aware that you can get a 25% reduction if you use the code sideline2518 .

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com

With his new studio album “Arrange The Molecule”, Gary Dassing confirms the undisputed Mentallo & The Fixer’s sound singularity. With its title taken from the line ‘Blessed Art Thou Who Arrange the Molecule’, this album, released on Alfa Matrix, is an open piece of art built on spiritual / scientific analogies, leaving the listener to choose how to perceive it. We had an interesting chat with this extraordinary sound research alchemist, Gary Dassing in person.

(by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Hi Gary. Here comes a new M&TF studio album since “Music From The Eather” that was released back in 2012. Although I’m aware you released some other stuff including that amazing “Zothera”-Box, 5 years is kind of looooong for the fans?  What have you been up to the last time?

Gary: Wow, I didn’t realize it was that long ago. There are a whole slew of reasons of why it has taken so long to get things out. Come to think of it, if I recall correctly, I was working on music when the computer I used solely for music finally crashed. Dwayne built it for me ages ago, it was running Windows 98. Yeah I was keeping it old-school. I’m not a techie. That was Dwayne’s job. So when that happened I just sort of saw it as a sign to give it a break. In that time period life seemed to get in the way and I was just procrastinating, also I was waiting for that drive or motivation to come back. I didn’t want it to feel like work, I was not going to force a release just for the sake of it.

Q: Musically, we can clearly hear that this new album is quite close to “Music From The Eather” actually?  Is “Arrange The Molecule” closing some kind of trilogy in a way through the last 3 studio albums?

Gary: I feel for the time being, with “Arrange The Molecule”, I’ve sort a topped out with the crazy ear candy. I consider it the most complex and structured of the 3. Funny to think I was using such archaic software and gear.  But yeah it’s the closing release in this series of pieces.  I’m ready for a new challenge or direction to move into.

Q: I’m quite surprised to hear that this new album is sound-wise so close to its predecessor while you have always enjoyed challenging yourself album after album and exploring totally new soundscapes, daring reinventing yourself again and again instead of simply repeating a recipe of success like too many artists sadly tend to do nowadays?

Gary: Well I tend to get bored quite easily, and when I work on music nowadays I do it to amuse myself. Like I previously mentioned it’s stereo sonic ear candy, hell I mixed “Music From The Eather” and “Arrange The Molecule’ through a pair of old Sony headphones. Hell why not, Dwayne and I recorded “Where Angels Fear To Tread” on a cassette deck! Laughs.

I haven’t listened to what’s going on in the scene in years, but yeah I don’t pander to anyone except myself. So with that in mind, yeah I use to hear quite frequently, why don’t you do another…. “No Rest…” or “Rev 23” or “Angels”… And I’m like, sheesh, because when I do music I’m honest with myself, there is no set template to follow, but at the same time, a good portion of those songs are quite personal to me. The problem came when I had to perform them night after night on tours. But honestly this is a passion, not a career, I would hate to be in that position, besides, this is the underground we are talking about. I plan to remain there, incognito.

Q: What is sonically different for you actually with this new album?  Where is it supposed leading us to?

Gary: It’s my approach to try and ping as many frequencies across the spectrum as possible, and get this dense full sound, with a lot of movement in the stereo field. Where is it supposed to lead you? Hmmm well, I like to cruise around and listen to music, long country drives with the windows down, blasting… so… Jokingly I would like to say I hope u reach Singularity. (laugh)  I just want people to trip out on it, I don’t expect fans to like every piece I do, u love some of it and u don’t, it’s just music, fuck it’s not going to change the world in any major capacity, play it to freak your friends out, get a laugh out of it. Use the music as your drug,

Q: Here again, vocals samples take the lead and replace vocals. Aren’t you sometimes missing taking the mic again and working on more ‘song oriented’ music with stricter song structures with chorus & verses?

Gary: Sure I do! That’s the next phase, I’m telling myself I’m going to pull a complete 180 degree turn and do the exact opposite of what I’m doing now. Strip it down to the bare minimum. Work with real vocalists/singers.  3 to 4 minute songs. Verse chorus songs. I’m at the point where I would like to work with other people again. I would like to record with a female vocalist. Someone within the region. Not necessarily someone familiar with this scene or genera of music. I want to be out of my comfort zone to some capacity.

Q: How would you describe this new album to somebody who had not the chance playing it yet?

Gary: Industrial Fusion. I believe this release has more melody and structure, but nonetheless, it’s just as rhythmic and crazy as ever. If anything it’s the production that blows me away.

Q: The limited edition also holds a bonus disc. What can we expect discovering on there?

Gary: Remixes, medleys, unreleased/B- side material, radio edits, ‘laughs’. Another journey into the unknown.

Q: The artwork design feel of the album is quite late 70’s / early 80’s retro oriented, with these retro coloring styles. It gives a kind of psychedelic touch to it all, but also some kind of sexual touch with stylised naked girls shapes colorized in neon lights some kind of? Tell me more?

Gary: I wanted a retro look. I have childhood memories of blacklight posters and early videogames like Tempest from 1981. I like the vibrance of  the colors. But yeah I definitely agree it has psychedelic written all over it in its own unique way. Well hmmm after all, I think the old adage applies here… ‘Sex, drugs and rock n roll’…

Q: I noticed that the title uses the word ‘molecule’ in singular. Which molecule would you like to arrange after all?   That molecule which allowed you experiencing that unique introspective journey?

Gary: Hmmm good question… the album title comes from the line ‘Blessed Art Thou Who Arrange the Molecule’. It’s all up to the listener and how they choose to perceive it. So it can be referencing either…. God, a shamen, or research chemist. Then again, I just like the way it sounds. I like the spiritual/scientific analogies.  My molecule? Hmmm well let(s just say it(s something particular to a small area in south Texas. And the deserts of northern Mexico.

Q: Are you kind of losing touch with reality when you are writing such ‘crazy” music? How can we imagine you in the studio writing such kind of music?

Gary: I get very lost in the process, it’s a way of escape, a way to pass time, to amuse myself, have fun. But it most definitely is thought out, it isn’t all random, there is structure to it, but I’ve heard it so much, I know what to expect even in all the subtle nuances. But I rarely work on music in THOSE instances, or states of mind, I like to listen to it or gather inspiration from the experience.

Q: What’s next now for you after this new album? 

Gary: Good question, well Dwayne bought me an Apple computer so I’m learning new platforms and software, but with the next releases, whatever moniker that comes under, I want to work with other people, like I did when I was much younger, I need to feel that comradeship, like I’m a part of a real band. Not taking on all the responsibilities, not always getting my say. Having to compromise. Making a group effort by bouncing off ideas. Having a good time in the process. In fact I’ve been talking with Rich Mendez of Benestrophe. And he’s game for working on new material with me for another Benestrophe release. I’ve always loved Richards vocal style and naturally deep voice, as well, he is a fantastic lyricist. I know I could get Dwayne in it on some capacity wether it be mixing and production. Dwayne goes for a more polished, professional sound.

Q: I have the impression that this new album is much harder in rhythm than its predecessor. More percussive and hard-hitting in a way. Is this part of the fact that you say the new songs are more ‘structured’?

Gary: Hmm good question, well, I knew this much going into it, I wanted shorter pieces of music, I told myself, ‘let’s just get to the point and not draw it out’. Not sure if any of you know this but I use to be a drummer and percussionist, so to me, when programming drums and rhythmical patterns, I like to mix it up, I can make it sound like a machine, or a human. With Mentallo I tend to use this approach a great deal, mixing electronic and acoustic sound. I want Mentallo to be open for the listeners’ own interpretation. I don’t want to corner myself and say I only do a certain type of style of music. I need to keep on being creative so I don’t lose interest. That’s why I spend so much time on the pre-production of the song. I like to add depth and dimension to the skeleton of the song, which usually starts off with me programming melodic percussion. I like to tune all my vocal samples, drums and percussion to the key or scale the song will be in.

Actually all the pieces off of “Arrange The Molecule”, were completed 3 years ago. I was procratinating because I didn’t have a computer, luckily, every time I worked on music I would back things up on disk. So even though my old computer died I still had all the audio information. When Dwayne bought me this Apple computer I had it for 6 months before I even booted it up, the older I get it seems, my approach to music is different. Don’t get me wrong I’m proud of all my releases in one form or another. I rarely if ever listen to my music once it’s completed. Only for nostalgia purposes, much like a photo album of my life.

Q: I always wondered. What are your main sources for all these weird vocal samples you are using across the album?  Some in French too I think?

Gary: Yeah you’re right, nothings off limits, when it comes to all the sampling, which I’m quite proud of may I add. But you’re right there is French in there, I know one of them is a speech engine, speaking the all the forms of dejavu terminology. Hell during the Alfa Matrix releases, I would spend weeks on end getting sample material and editing it down and EQ’ing and adding effects, that was part of the fun of it. All the random sound sculptures.

Q: Do you imagine yourself singing again in the future? Cos this was also kind of a part of the success of M&TF in the early days?  Do you still have challenges to take on that field?

Gary Well, never say never is my motto, It’s just vocalling and writing lyrics was a position I was sorta thrown into. I took on the endeavour with the idea we would just be a studio act, never thinking I would end up being a frontman for live shows. I just don’t want to write about the same negative subjects over and over, like beating a dead horse. It gets old. I’m not saying it’s not relative. But eventually… Don’t get me wrong, when you’re young, you throw caution to the wind, you’re influenced, and you’re finding your way. But I didn’t want to wear my favourite electronic acts like a badge of honour and just be a replica. I didn’t want to be lead, for the most part, I wanted to forge my own path at any expense, because at the end of the day I’m my own worst critic!

Nowadays I just know that I want to make something outside of my comfort zone. Also the vocals/lyrics  back in the day off the first releases were channelling real personal stuff, things involving close family and friends, and it was a great way to express myself with a vocal effects mask. I believe it touched fans because for the most part it was genuine. I wasn’t trying to be some cool industrial god frontman. Only sticking to the same old shit as what happened to the scene. I remember when I was a kid, a teenager, the plethora of bands I listened to. Hell back then, I don’t think any electronic or industrial band sounded alIke, there was a lot of diversity. And  what I’ve learned is …. hmmm absolutely nothing, laughs , just kidding. I’m not a purist in any form, I take and give what I can, from life, Ya know, I very well may vocal again… but I need to have that passion again. I’m more critical of my vocals and lyrics than I am of my music. I would like to get a super group together with all the friends I piddled around with in the late 80’s where I grew up in San Antonio, there is a lot of unique talent there. But that’s just me being nostalgic. (laugh)

Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Experimental, electro, industrial, IDM.

Background/Info: Mentallo & The Fixer will next year celebrate its 30^th anniversary. The Texan project is no longer releasing new material at regular basis. “Arrange The Molecule” is the first new opus since “Music From The Eather” (2012).

Content: If you’re familiar with the sound of this artist you rapidly will recognize the familiar electro complexity. The tracks have been accomplished with dense and multiple sound layers, sometimes creating a chaotic impression although accomplished with some fine, icy bleeps and other delicate tunes.

Gary Dassing doesn’t care about music standards, but simply seems to exorcise the endless music ideas running through his brain. From industrial sequences to avant-garde electronics to pure IDM, this album is a sonic voyage.

Next to the regular album format you also can purchase the limited edition featuring extra songs and remixes, which still bring us back to previous work.

Dassing says about this album ‘It’s my approach to try and ping as many frequencies across the spectrum as possible, and get this dense full sound, with a lot of movement in the stereo field. … I just want people to trip out on it, I don’t expect fans to like every piece I do, u love some of it and u don’t, it’s just music, fxxk it’s not going to change the world in any major capacity, play it to freak your friends out, get a laugh out of it. Use the music as your drug!’.

+ + + : Mentallo & The Fixer remains a band with a very own sound DNA characterized by complexity, bombast and yet refined passages. This new work excels in experimentalism and visionary sound treatments. Who’s Gary Dassing? Is he really a musician? Maybe a sound collector? Or a genius sound alchemist who’s transforming any single sound into another noise dimension? We all have to make our mind, but he definitely is an artist you can’t compare with any other formation.

– – – : The sound formula is hard to seize and not exactly the most accessible one. Mentallo & The Fixer makes music for people who aren’t satisfied with clichés and all those bands sharing the same equipment, the same sounds and in the end the same kind of songs! But it’s a difficult album, which sometimes gives you the impression of pure improvisation and total chaos. I’m missing vocals or chants/choirs to get it maybe a little less more accessible.

Conclusion: Mentallo & The Fixer makes me think to a movie of David Lynch; you’ll never totally catch the plot, but it’s always fascinating!

Best songs: “Treat It Like A Loaded Gun”, “Just What I Had Been Missing”, “Gammera”, “The Moment You Realize …”, “Metaphysical Agents – Antigen”.

Rate: (8).

Label: www.alfa–matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Tomorrow the Belgian based record label Alfa Matrix will officially release the brand new studio album by the industrial cult act Mentallo & The Fixer titled “Arrange The Molecule”. The release is available for ordering via the label’s website, in a normal CD and 2CD boxset version.

With the new album Gary Dassing continues the search for maximum synth layered industrial – which you could already hear on the much applauded “Music From The Eather” album – but this time more structured.

Here’s what Dassing says about his new record: “I feel for the time being, with “Arrange The Molecule”, I’ve sorta topped out with the crazy ear candy. It’s my approach to try and ping as many frequencies across the spectrum as possible, and get this dense full sound, with a lot of movement in the stereo field. … I just want people to trip out on it, I don’t expect fans to like every piece I do, u love some of it and u don’t, it’s just music, fxxk it’s not going to change the world in any major capacity, play it to freak your friends out, get a laugh out of it. Use the music as your drug!”

The limited edition comes in a hand-made arty carton packaging with a bonus disc full of remixes, medleys and unreleased/b side material. Highly recommended!

Available formats: Mentallo & The Fixer – Arrange The Molecule 2CD / Mentallo & The Fixer – Arrange The Molecule CD / Mentallo & The Fixer – Arrange The Molecule (download only via Bandcamp)

You can listen to the complete album below!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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More good news from Alfa Matrix, the Belgian based record label has announced that it will release a brand new studio album by the industrial cult act Mentallo & The Fixer titled “Arrange The Molecule”. The release, expected to hot shops in early October, is already available for pre-order via the label’s website, in a normal CD and 2CD boxset version.

With the new album Gary Dassing continues the search for maximum synth layered industrial – which you could already hear on the much applauded “Music From The Eather” album – but this time more structured.

Here’s what Dassing says about his new record: “I feel for the time being, with “Arrange The Molecule”, I’ve sorta topped out with the crazy ear candy. It’s my approach to try and ping as many frequencies across the spectrum as possible, and get this dense full sound, with a lot of movement in the stereo field. … I just want people to trip out on it, I don’t expect fans to like every piece I do, u love some of it and u don’t, it’s just music, fxxk it’s not going to change the world in any major capacity, play it to freak your friends out, get a laugh out of it. Use the music as your drug!”

The limited edition comes in a hand-made arty carton packaging with a bonus disc full of remixes, medleys and unreleased/b side material. Highly recommended!

Available formats: Mentallo & The Fixer – Arrange The Molecule 2CD / Mentallo & The Fixer – Arrange The Molecule CD / Mentallo & The Fixer – Arrange The Molecule (download only via Bandcamp)

You can already listen to the first 2 tracks below!

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com