Review Summary: Nitzer Ebb improve on many aspects from their debut, but ultimately are bogged by ancient-like beats that seem to swirl around ’Belief’
Nitzer Ebb is a criminally underrated Industrial/Electronic artist that started about the time our well-known “industrialist” Trent Reznor did. I assume many of you are unfamiliar with the impact or the background of Nitzer Ebb. Thus, it’s time to serve up some knowledge. Nitzer Ebb started at an extremely young age – 15. These British upstarts are named Douglas McCarthy and Bon Harris. McCarthy is the vocalist and Harris’ duties comprise of drumming and programming. Although Nitzer Ebb has been heralded by critics after their demise, it is only because the impact and importance this group had produced in their time has been noticed only recently.
Nitzer Ebb is known to be one of the contributors to the ‘industrial movement’ that was spearheaded by the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Front Line Assembly, and other important artists. Although they did not know it, Nitzer Ebb was extremely influential. Their first release ‘That Total Age’ was a well balanced, techno/electronic atmosphere merged with industrial-like lyrical content. This becomes a dilemma. Unlike their counterparts who drench their tracks with guitar and noise, Nitzer Ebb is somewhat plain and arid. They solely rely on their ability to program techno beats with dark lyrics. ‘That Total Age’ was more of a danceable album that was played in various clubs around Britain. Their debut that was released in 1987 spurred some success and recognition. With the sequential ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ and the slew of releases Skinny Puppy would produce it seemed the sound they all began to produce was finally getting recognized. 1989 saw Nitzer Ebb release their sophomore effort ‘Belief. They stuck with their original incarnation in ‘That Total Age’, like their debut ‘Belief’ focuses on their ability to create danceable tunes.
Although ‘Belief’ follows suite from ‘That Total Age’ with the same result, it is a bit disappointing that much of their work, including this album doesn’t stand the test of time in some ways. Their lyrics of course, really don’t seem to have been affected at all, if not for the better. Instead, what are relied heavily on this album as such from its predecessor are the beats. The dance-happy tunes that may have instilled some movement 2 decades ago seem a bit aged and dare I say boring. Ironically, this type of feel for the album can induce negative and positive results. “Hearts and Minds” finds the relatively simple techno beat extremely effective with McCarthy’s vocals at their best. “Shame” is extremely impressive vocally and lyrically, also the beat that pulls it through gets increasingly better for the short span that it carries.
The trouble that follows Nizter Ebb really is a bit overdone due to the future releases by the same artists they accompanied in the genre. I wouldn’t necessarily describe Nitzer Ebb as industrial band in the strictest sense, as stated earlier their style never came with guitars, thus the album feels a bit “boring”. Many of these tracks contain great vocal work by McCarthy, but the major problem suffered is shown in “Drive” and “For Fun. “Drive” is lyrically sub-par, coupled with the boring atmosphere is just uneventful. Dry atmosphere and boring drum breaks break the tracks to their knees. Harris’ work that may have captivated his fans then seem to be the crutch now. This type of problem would probably steer many listeners away from Nitzer Ebb, but the fact this album was released 20 years ago is a testament of its time.
