The Project Hate MCMXCIX

Cybersonic Superchrist (Pavement)
by Scott Hefflon

Jorgen Sandstrom, ex-singer of Grave and bassist of Entombed, is the savior of this hateful, plodding cybergrr project. Sure, there’re some atmospheric keys and a female vocalist sometimes and some trendy boops and bells above the cold-sounding Ministry-meets-Meshuggah chug, but Jorgen could say, “Hey, how’s it going” and it’d sound evil as shit. While I greatly liked Grave (mostly cuz of his voice) and respect his desire to push the limits of heavy music, he could go so much further than this. But I guess ya gotta take baby steps, huh?

While most of the progressions, to be honest, are simple – the kinda thing you knock off while warming up – the ever-present evil of this record, the sheer force of the demon growl backed up by pounding drums and half-stepping guitar fills, is undeniable. For some reason, I’m thinking of what Celtic Frost coulda done if they hadn’t started sucking by the time keyboards and samplers and shit were used in metal, but that could be misunderstanding Jorgen’s vision. And I’d really like to encourage him to push this idea further and further, to see where it takes him just before he drops over the edge or his guts dissolve from all the bile dripping into them…
(PO Box 50550 Phoenix, AZ 85076)