
Flower of Zeus – Diamond Rings
The real trick for any band that wants to sound like the Velvet Underground is to get the audience on their side before the actual singing begins. Lou Reed & co understood this well. One look at the black-garb of the performers and a few seconds of glorious feedback later and those in attendance were done putting up a fight.
Flower of Zeus, thankfully, has honed this skill. Diamond Rings is already a success by the time their singer clears his throat, loudly, to spew out lyrics. The group semi-humorously describe themselves as “65% less heavier than Slayer”. It’s a complicated way of saying garage rock.
That aside, the band does sound menacing, like IT-people being given free credit at the bar on a Friday night. Yes, the lyrics could’ve been lifted from a poorly recorded Tenacious D bootleg and none would be the wiser, but here’s a band I wouldn’t wanna cross. Flower of Zeus sound tight and remorseless in their approach. Here’s one band that, unlike many others who have tried before, could actually stand before thousands of angry Slayer fans.
ASSIGNMENTS – WHATEVER HAPPENS HAPPENS
I heard that there once was a time when music came on a piece of plastic, accompanied by little to no visuals. Apparently, people appreciated it based on what they heard alone. With no visual stimulant, they were forced to use their imagination. It made for some nice interpretations. I hear Paul McCartney died back in 1967.
Still, while I do try to open my ears when listening to music, I too am sometimes guilty of being superficial.
Assignments is the work of a single musician out of Switzerland. There’s little information about Phil Hayers, the man in question, and the production sounds like a tame, bedroom recording.
Close your eyes for just a second, reminisce about a truly helter-skelter time in your life and the truth about this recording will reveal itself. Whatever happens happens sounds like Iggy Pop invading a Depeche Mode track. There’s an elegant menace to this pounding, nihilistic, unrelenting electro-rock track. If this had hit the soundtrack of either of the two Trainspotting movies, nobody would bat an eye.