Hex Angel: (Utopia - Dystopia) the new electro-industrial release from Velvet Acid Christ is both refreshing from a compositional point of view and infuriatingly immature from a lyrical and thematic standpoint.
While his keyboard and drum arrangements are flawless, Bryan Erickson has absolutely nothing interesting to say on this record. Arrangements suffer from monotony and very un-artistic samples of recognizable films that include but are not limited to The Matrix and Fight Club. Their use would be artistic if they were used sparingly and to make an important artistic point within the solid composition of a song. Instead they are used as blatant attempts at commercial viability and a feeble attempt to seem rebellious, an attempt that rivals the emotional maturity of a fourteen year old.
Yes, sampling of commercial film was used frequently by Ministry and Skinny Puppy and others back in the mid-eighties, but then again at that time the technique was still fresh and meaningful. Now it is just a lame attempt at recapturing something that can never be remade or re-experienced.
Perhaps Bryan Erickson can find someone who can provide him with a good vocal performance and interesting lyrical ideas that haven’t been done a thousand times before.
