The Skull Defekts
Blood spirits & drums are singing
Conspiracy Records
On The Skull Defekts' new album, "Blood spirits & drums are singing", their trademark electronic sound has been replaced with one comprised primarily of traditional instrumentation - drums, bass, lead, the works. The electronic elements are still there, lurking in the shadows, but never having the same grand presence they enjoyed on The Skull Defekts' previous work. The album opens innocuously enough with "Unholy drums are singing", which I feel, is too long, considering that it offers nothing of significance to the album. The album really takes off past this track, although the closer "White lights burning lights" matches the opener in sheer lack of brilliance. On the whole, "BS&DAS" isn't a bad album, but I think The Skull Defekts' venture into territories uncharted hasn't done them any favors. Most of their previous stuff, it seems to me, offered a glimpse into the mind of a disturbed individual. Something dark. Something foreboding. Something very, very ominous. It's hard to describe exactly, but it seems better executed with the use of electronics. Surprisingly enough, the lyrics/ vocals on this album prevent it from being just another poorly thought-out experiment. Something I never thought I'd say about a primarily noise/drone outfit with hard rock tendencies. Almost in keeping with the theme of mentally disturbed: the lyrics aren't perfect. They ramble. They're mildly unsettling. But they have an almost hypnotic effect to them that completely draws you in. The effect is carried out to perfection, coupled with the drums on "Rhythm is the key" and "The secret" (which also feature a good deal of the noise elements on the album). It's simply a crying shame that the rest of the album doesn't match up.
- Heinrich Souza
