X Marks The Pedwalk

Freaks (Metropolis)
by Paul Lee

Just because Metropolis releases the German industrial band X Marks The Pedwalk‘s first disc, Freaks, with some new tracks and remasters it, does that make it a CD worthy of notice? For the debut electro/industrial album, the answer is a resounding yes. Despite the “old fashioned” music technology of 1991, XMTP created an album in the Skinny Puppy/Front 242 electro vein that’s both chilly and inspired. From the cold, calculated beats that open “Zest,” to “Severen Ni Arb”‘s constricted, electronically-distorted vocals, you know you’re in for a high-tech trip to XMPT’s personal hell. Ignore the simplistic lyrics and focus on their desolate music and you’ll surely enjoy the sweet pain of XMTP. The songs on Freaks run the gamut from cold, angry songs like “Swastika” and “The Shot,” to more atmospheric, moody instrumentals like “Express My Sentiments Exactly” and “Epilogue: Desert at Dawn.” “Feast of the Resurrection,” originally the final track on Freaks (now track ten out of fourteen) features bizarre and creative soundscapes and sonic manipulations. And though the bonus tracks are quite good, they’re not as great as the original material. That aside, Freaks is worth getting.
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