The Young Gods
Super Ready/Fragmenté

22 years on the trail, only in a minor key because in Switzerland there's no Los Angeles, the Young Gods, besides being the pride of the nation, push a metallic mix of rock-wave and electronics that calling 'pioneering' is an understatement.

It's no coincidence that Chemical Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, Mike Patton, KMFDM, and not least Unkle, pay tribute and utmost respect to this band. In "Tv Sky" (go dig it up, it's one of those 5-star albums unjustly consigned to oblivion) they were the first to overturn the traditional industrial formula: not electric guitars over sampled drumming but sampled guitars over 'live' drums. Then they lost their way, few interesting things, and a sensational right-hand overtaking by people who manage to sell their name and nationality better; thus our heroes disappear from the radar. Darkness on the screen.

That said, "Super Ready/Fragmenté" is their thirteenth album - and when a band is badass, you can tell even from the titles of the albums they come back with - and it explains in twelve bars why the Young Gods are still the best at what they do. The red LED starts flashing again on the screen: welcome back. The first two tracks shoot pure adrenaline, all that's left to do is blast them at maximum volume in the stereo speakers and enjoy the ride. "I'm the Drug" and "Freeze" are electronic pulses licked with new-wave, amplified with a taste for hard rock and mixed with an irresistible ping-pong effect between the left and right channels: one can soar. "El Magnifico" is an industrial-tribal bomb that attacks the neurons. For "About Time" and "Super Ready", people like Killing Joke would go crazy with envy; "Secret" reminds Trent Reznor how to tinker with sound without always searching for the catchy chorus. And the moment you think you've had enough of square beats, distortions crashing into multisampling, and synth-guitars bouncing to the edge of noise, these bastards turn towards an original soundscaping mixed with the flavor of late-60s psychedelia in an ‘electro’ key. "Stay with Us" showcases sitar and vocoder. Franz Treichler manages to make his European version halfway between Jim Morrison and Simon Le Bon credible, even sings in French, and amazes with his masterful ability to drive the rhythm with just words. Fabulous. You're there floating in hyperspace between you and your stereo, and suddenly the best of the lot explodes: "Everythere". Only seasoned craftsmen like the Young Gods could place the most explosive track right at the album's closing point, just when you think you're landing without a jolt.

The message is clear: we will never land. Luckily I brought sandwiches from home.