Mortiis – Some Kind Of Heroin (The Grudge Remixes)

Written by: ASH on 24/06/2007 18:14:05

"So you're the only one who knows the secret, huh, underdog?" Confusing introduction, but it's the musical heroin messing around with my head. It'll pass sooner or later, depending on when I switch to a track by another artist than this Norwegian four-piece. Or hold on a minute; this isn't really a Mortiis album, but a remix compilation of Mortiis' past 2004 release "The Grudge". And this little discovery kicked me off the chair instantly. I have to admit that I did expect an electronic-rock album spiced with dark and murky special effects, but after getting my room transformed into a German Goth-rave party by the help of the opening track "Underdog (Zombie Girl Remix)", I couldn't help feeling a little far fetched.

But to be honest, the first track did fascinate me a little. It draws you in and makes you feel a part of the rave-scene in a comfortable way, and you can almost imagine a rock-enthusiast honestly saying that this actually sounds alright. It's a good first impression, but let's keep the trophies on the shelves a little longer. Who knows what we might get after a few more tracks of hardcore DJ blended versions of Havard Ellefsen and Co's compositions.

Before defining the whole sound of the album, I'd like to point out a worthwhile detail, namely the curious repetition of track titles in the track listing. "Some Kind of Heroin" includes a whopping four remixes of "The Grudge", three remixes of "Gibber" and two remixes each of "Broken Skin", "Way Too Wicked" and "The Worst in Me" respectively. In between, there are luckily some unique tracks like the introductory track, a heavily technofied, Nine Inch Nails-inspired third track "Twist the Knife (Gibbering Mix)" and finally the eight track "Decadent and Desperate (Thera**** Mix)", which is a pretty catchy, up-beat electronic rock song resembling a little dried out Marilyn Manson song. And these "outsiders" are actually the only tracks really worth mentioning. It's harsh, but all the track repeats on the album are simply way too electronic to draw any interest out of me. In a way, it's like falling asleep during Moulin Rouge: you wake up because you thought you heard something funny, only to discover that they're still singing the same, fucking never-ending medley, just this time it's without that funny, bearded dwarf musician.

All in all, I won't directly call "Some Kind of Heroin" uninteresting and uninspiring, since it is in fact just a bunch of remixes by different European / American DJs, so Mortiis himself can't really take any of the blame for the less impressive tracks on the album, even though he is proud of them all. I just wish he'd let the Zombie Girl DJ remix all of the tracks and cut out the loops, since "Underdog" just defines what the album could have become. In the end, this release does not really cut deeply enough to reach anything, it is an album with sixteen different tracks and it simply has to offer more than merely one to two ear catchers. The sound just seems to die out from track two, then hype a little and then admit its defeat, before crawling back into its lair to do some more soul-searching. "Some Kind of Heroin" could have been a lot better, especially with the line-up of DJs, who are seemingly quite acknowledged throughout the industrial scenes, like Raymond Watts aka "PIG", who has toured with Nine Inch Nails, one of Mortiis' inspirations. Sadly, the album simply just doesn't break through the ice even though it has a few updrafts.

4

Download:Underdog (Zombie Girl), Twist the Knife (Gibbering Mix), Decadent and Desperate (Thera**** Mix)
For the fans of: Nine Inch Nails, German Gothic rave parties.
Listen: MySpace

Release Date 16.04.2007
Earache Records
Provided by Target ApS

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