Gil Mantera's Party Dream
Bloodsongs
(Audio Eagle)
Gil Mantera's Party Dream's Bloodsongs is 10 tracks of straight-ahead, 80s influenced pop rock. Gil Mantera and bandmate Ultimate Donny collaborate on vocals, guitar and synthesizers. If you're familiar with the band Mindless Self Indulgence, pretend the dudes in that band decided to chill out and record a mellow album, and it might sound something like this. At times, the band employs a vocoder, which makes the vocalist sound like a robot. Gil Mantera's Party Dream has created an album with solid enough songwriting to not sound overly repetitive, but which provides an overall feel of nostalgia and a desire to dance throughout. -- benjamin.horowitz@asu.edu
Orthrelm
OV
(Ipecac Recordings)
Ever wonder what Armageddon will sound like? The answer is OV, the 45-minute debut album from Orthrelm. It will be the perfect soundtrack as the Earth sets itself aflame and every last human runs screaming helplessly for their insignificant life. At first it appears that your CD must be scratched, resulting in two-second loops of screeching guitar and the type of drumming usually reserved for an 80s metal solo. Turns out, this is the entire album. Although there are sporadic transitions, OV displays a consistent "makes-you-want-to-scream-violently-and-pull-your-hair-out-to-stop-the-pain" quality. I dare you to listen to this album from start to finish, although I must admit I'd be curious to see the band recreate this sound live. -- adriane.goetz@asu.edu
See Orthrelm on Wednesday, February 22 at The Rhythm Room, 1019 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix.
