| by
Brian Stillman, editor at Guitar World and Revolver
“I’m
sick and tired of today’s cookie-cutter approach to music,”
rails Kerry Smith of Anathema Device, the latest musical force-of-nature
to crawl from the depths of New York City. “Every band sounds
like it came off an assembly line—generic and weak. Music needs
to change and grow. I want to evolve.”
More than simply aggressive beats and slash-and-burn electronics, Anathema
Device is a return to the days when songwriting was key and a good hook
lodged itself in the listener’s brain like a barb. Which isn’t
to say that the band lacks all the chaotic mayhem and intensity that
drives people to acts of dance-floor violence. Indeed, Anathema Device
kicks harder than a mule on PCP, while at the same time employing melodies,
textures and sonic craftsmanship that calls to mind, on a bad day, the
brutal dichotomy of such bands as Nine Inch Nails or Jane’s Addiction.
And on a good day? Anathema Device is a maelstrom of electro-rock mayhem
all it’s own.
Take, for example, the songs on Anathema Device’s debut “Something
Lurking In The Dark”. The whiney scream-fests and generic, over-produced
beat-box rhythms common to most contemporary ”modern rock”
tracks are absent. Melodic, airy and atmospheric one minute, Something
Lurking… quickly shifts to a flurry of boot-to-the-head beats
and spine-shattering guitar riffs, taking listeners on an emotional
roller coaster ride. In the background, subtle electronic gurgles and
bleeps percolate up from the mix, filling space without detracting from
the songs. And through it all, Smith’s vocals, emotional without
being melodramatic, force the listener to sit up and pay attention.
“With Anathema Device, I want to create something that combines
the drive and groove of electronic dance music with the life and energy
of rock and punk,” says Smith. “I didn’t want the
songs to feel lifeless or static. It’s technology struggling with
humanity. And I like to think that the humanity comes out on top.”
When Smith originally joined forces with keyboardist Stephen Baker,
bassist Dan Levine, guitarist Batz and drummer Eric Reed, the results
were
electric. Every time they performed, the crowds grew and the applause
grew
louder.
They
released
their debut 5-song EP, performed for hundreds at the Convergence
7 Festival,
(following indie legends Coil, to close the show) and were immortalized
as among “The Best of Gothic Radio” on a compilation
of the same name…all within a year. The live show is just
the kind of controlled explosion that makes dragging yourself
out at night worthwhile.
It’s dynamic, exciting, sexy, powerful, stirring and intimate
without taking it self too seriously.
It’s somewhat ironic that Smith’s day job consists of writing
award-winning jingles for a top-rated music house. With such mainstream
credits, Smith doesn’t seem like a musical avenging angel, come
to wreak havoc on a meandering music scene. But then again, viruses
grow inside their hosts, subverting a system from the inside out. Smith
will be the first to admit that working on commercial music has its
upside; by forcing him to write in such diverse genres as retro, hip-hop,
world, techno, and all-out cheese, the commercial work arms Smith
with
a knowledge of musical styles that far surpasses that of his contemporaries.
The result shines through clearly on songs like Guilt Is a Word…
and The Paragon of Animals.
If what you’re looking for is music that, quite simply, kicks
your ass from one track to the next, then you’re in the right
place. Because Anathema Device is nothing short of a jack-booted wake-up
call to all the weak-kneed middle-of-the-roaders, those who are complacent
enough to be satisfied with the Britney’s and boy-pop or the one-trick
headbangers. Anathema Device is another wave of music, a different wave
of culture. Anathema Device is knocking on your door. Are you ready
to open it?
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