Prong
Power Of The Damn MiXXXer

God bless Tommy Victor*.

Or may he be incinerated once and for all.

There's little to add about the mammoth, wall-like, ultra-estrogenated vitriolic stop-and-go guitar riffs of our man: after coining that authentic Post-Thrash gem called “Beg To Differ” (1990), all of us old-school mono-neuronal music lovers are somewhat grateful to him. Or perhaps not.

However, dear Tommy, it's all well and good that you've always shown a consistent inclination for Techno-EBM-Industrial remixes (admittedly weak ones) of your works, and in this, there's commendable (stubborn) consistency, but with this “Damn MiXXXer” album, practically speaking, what are we supposed to do?

Don't take it the wrong way, dear, but the original materials for the current remixing (“Power of the Damager” 2007), weren't all that wonderful to begin with, and no one, mind you, expected them to be: a few tough mountain-splitting riffs, it’s well known, aren’t exactly akin to springtime (or was it the swallow? Who knows!) and we, now with tough skin tempered by the worst para-musical nonsense, aren't so easily impressed anymore.

The combination of ferocious guitar/drum machines with a few frenzied electronic bleeps (somewhere a vocoder even appears..), let's be honest, isn't exactly a grand novelty, especially when, we reiterate for the less attentive (there's always someone), the original source wasn't exactly brimming with intrinsic quality.

To be frank, I've never quite understood who might be drawn to such work: excessively stern and ruinous for the dance floor [see the apocalyptic “No Justice (Crackmix)”], too mixed and varied for the die-hard ultra-metal fans [listen to “The Banishment (Wolfzilla & The Angry Moon Mix)”]; I think it's safe to say, in extreme synthesis, that it resides in that classic limbo that elevates it to the role of a readily forgettable piece.

However: “No Justice (Crackmix)” really rocks! And also “Looking For Them (Contagious Mix)” is a solid punch in the face. Actually, upon closer listening, “Spirit Guide (Reality's Edge Mix)” also has an exaggerated drive. And what about the Godfleshian “Power of The Damager (Fabrication Mix)” not to mention the mephistophelian technological “3rd Option (Naked In The Cadillac Mix)”; finally, how can we not mention the ultra-thrash raw guitars of “Message Inside of Me (Chicxulub Impactor Mix).”

In short, I really don’t know who this album might appeal to. But maybe yes.

*look him up on Wikipedia if you don't know who he is (geez!)