Review Summary: A mostly enjoyable mess
Surgical Meth Machine is the latest in a long line of side projects from ministry front-man and industrial music icon Al Jourgensen. With Ministry on hold (at least album wise) after the death of longtime guitar player Mike Scaccia in 2012; SMM is the latest blank slate for Jourgensen to do whatever the hell he wants on. From the opening track “I'm sensitive” the band get right to the point in crudely telling you they don't “***ing care” what you think about it their just going to do it. It's pretty clear the whole album was recorded from that view point and it is ends up being both the biggest blessing and curse for this project.
The record starts off fast, angry, and loud. Songs like Tragic Alert and Rich People Problems are essentially haphazard speed metal with a drum machine. These tracks are fun and some of the more replayable tunes on the album, however at the same time manage to be pretty forgettable. It's hard not to shake the feeling that other bands have done almost the same songs before much better (such as those Ministry fellows). Tragic alert in particular could have gone without so many tragic alerts.
Fortunately things get more experimental with “I don't wanna”. Unfortunately it is a complete disjointed disaster of a song with no flow at all. Despite being bad the song at least has a humorous charm and some effort was clearly put into making it. The same can't be said about aptly named “unlistenable”. This song could be trying to make a point about elitism in music or something but regardless it ends up being a terrible one and done filler song. Discouragingly the filler doesn't stop there as instrumentals “Just go home” and “Just keep going” do make a nice transition into the final song, but they still feel like unfinished throwaways.
Thankfully 3 of the mellowest tracks on this album “Gates of steel” and it's follow up “Spudnik” along with “I'm Invisible” are great songs that somewhat redeem the overall package. Gates of steel is a cover of an old Devo song and Spudnik is an instrumental extension that is much more enjoyable then the others. The final song of album “I'm invisible” is a trippy affair with a repetitive piano and guitar line throughout that slowly build around the clean vocals. While this song does drag on a little too long is awesome provided you're in the right mood. It might be the most original thing Jourgensen has made in years although it is still no masterpiece.
Surgical Meth Machine's debut album might be the biggest mixed bag thus far in 2016. The highs and lows of this album probably have much in common with an actual meth high. Experimentation is nice, but some quality control would have done this album a ton of good. With all that in mind it still does provide enough cheap thrills to be worth checking out.
