Bile

Teknowhore (Energy)
by Rebekah Sue Harris

Opening with the voice of my favorite teen idol, Charles Manson (sampled dialogue taken from Helter Skelter), Bile sent my cat twitching and writhing. Teknowhore, Bile’s follow-up to Suck Pump, is due out in mid-May. Fans of Suck Pump, and those whose only Bile exposure was “I Reject” from the Mortal Kombat soundtrack, will be quite happy with this new release. There is none of grunge’s wallowing in self-pity, and no pop declarations of love found or reminiscenses of love lost. Band genius Krztoff HATES. And he’s not shy about telling you so. Songs like “No One I Call Friend,” “Interstate Hate Song,” and “U Can’t Love This,” (which could have been more aptly titled “I Hate You, You Fucking Cunt”) are right on the ball. There is no brighter tomorrow, so why sing about it?

As with Suck Pump, this latest industrial, effect-laden release courses through the veins like adrenaline sprinkled liberally with slivers of glass; you can feel it cutting your nervous system to shreds as it flows through your body. However, in contrast to Suck Pump, the lyrics are much easier to comprehend, even without the aid of a lyric sheet. Krz’s vocals range from the seductive purr of the Vampire Lestat to the twisted monotones of a crazed robot, but we can absorb more of his hate because the lyrics aren’t as overshadowed by R. H. Bear’s keyboards as they were on Suck Pump.

When I was a teenager, my mom used to go into spasms when I played Slayer; she said that the bass and drums made her physically ill. She tried to soften the blow by telling me that her mom didn’t like it when she played Elvis. I wondered what kind of music would be around when I had kids, and if I would let them listen to it. Well, “it” is here in the form of Bile. The PMRC will probably say that Bile causes kids to act out in violent ways. Well, Stephen, honey, when you go out and pillage the town, bring Mom a present, will ya? And be home by 10:00!