Viva Death

One Percent Panic (Functional Equivelant)
By Ewan Wadharmi

How are you going to put Josh Freese in a band and then list his priors as A Perfect Circle? What about The Vandals? Have you forgotten G’N’F’n R? Well, I tried to forget about them, but how about NIN? Avril Lavigne anyone? Kelly Clarkson, perhaps? OK, so you can ignore those two also. I guess Freese has drums and will travel, but damned if he isn’t a fine time-keeper. Trevor Keith and Scott Shiflett from Face To Face, Chad Shiflett from Foo Fighters and Scott’s mom, and Legion of Doom drummer Chad Blinman come together to make this second Viva Death collaboration a trip across the years.

Rhythmic experiments like “Broken Nose,” “Rise & Shine,” and “Into The Void” will appeal to fans of Tool, but dig deeper to hear bits of Filter and Cop Shoot Cop in the movie samples and industrial noise. “You Can’t Love” is a galloping acoustic number that Andrew Eldritch must’ve forgotten to record on the last Sisters Of Mercy. “Behind You, Soldier” escaped from Bowie’s Diamond Dogs, complete with horn section and riffs lifted from “Rebel Rebel.” Elsewhere, “Defector” makes the link between Echo & The Mary Chain & The Killers. Airier pieces like “White Car” could easily be a Love & Rockets number. To enjoy the album as a whole requires a broad palette, such as that of the eclectic Mr. Freese. Expertly performed, executed, and produced.
(www.functionalequivalentrecordings.com)