Review Summary: Uncategorized and unmatched until the end, Depressive Age deliver their magnum opus, before they vanish into oblivion.
Let’s take a virtual trip back to the metal reality of 1996. The first 3 Dream Theater records have invigorated (metalized) the 70’s progressive rock sound, making it particularly attractive for a respectable number of metal fans worldwide. What happened then? New bands emerged trying to match DT commercially and artistically. Most of these bands either ended up as perfect DT copies, while some delivered marginally enjoyable prog metal, gained their 15 minutes of publicity and that was it. All vanished sooner or later. At the same time, the "left party" of progressive metal was suffocating in the underground. Bands immensely different the one from the other, gaining little or no appreciation at all from the – increasing at the time – "progressive" fan base, although crafting one masterpiece after the other. Some names: Voivod, Mekong Delta, Psychotic Waltz, Sore Plexus, Megace, Hexenhaus, among (many) others. Depressive Age were "left party" too. Their fourth album was
Electric Scum. Unfortunately, it is their last up to date.
In their previous album (
Symbols for the Blue Times), D-Age successfully adopted a gloomy, yet energetic, metallic rock songwriting style.
Electric Scum continues pretty much in the same vein, however, two new key elements make their appearance here. The first is the industrial touch all songs possess more or less. This touch is realized either by Jan Lubitski’s "mechanistic" vocals here and there or by the well crafted electronic/industrial loops placed wisely within the songs. The second is the discrete use of keyboards. In addition, the band lets external musical stimulae get in the house.
As in
Symbols for the Blue Times, the rhythms guitars by Jochen Klemp follow the classic "metal n’ roll" way, but they don’t sound dated or obsolete. In addition, there are some unexpected surprises, especially in the acoustic guitar themes (the flamenco guitars on
Compañero for example). The drumming manipulations of Norbert Drescher and the passionate vocals of Jan Lubitski, play an important role in supporting each song. Lubitski’s lyrics are once again a seminar in lunacy, further amplifying the impact music has on the listener.
The production is fairly decent, as it gives the right depth in the songs, making it easier for the listener to get into the music.
Summing up, the band’s intuitive song-writing abilities, along with the industrial influences make this record a true masterpiece.
Electric Scum is a work of art and as such, it bares no resemblance to literally anything in the vast rock/metal domain.
