Velvet Acid Christ

Hex Angel: (Utopia – Dystopia) (Metropolis)
by Wa

Hex Angel: (Utopia – Dystopia) is both refreshing from a compositional point of view and infuriatingly immature from a lyrical and thematic standpoint. While his keyboard and drum arrangements are flawless, Bryan Erickson has absolutely nothing interesting to say on this record. Arrangements suffer from monotony and very unartistic samples of recognizable films like The Matrix and Fight Club. Their use would be artistic if used sparingly and to make an important artistic point within the composition of a song, instead, they’re used as blatant attempts at commercial viability and a feeble attempt to seem rebellious, an attempt that rivals the emotional maturity of a fourteen year old.

Yes, sampling of commercial film was used frequently by Ministry and Skinny Puppy and others back in the mid-’80s, but then again, at that time, the technique was still fresh and meaningful. Now, it’s just a lame attempt at recapturing something that can never be remade or re-experienced.
(PO Box 54307 Philadelphia, PA 19105)