Record Reviews

Lucid Dementia

Song for Newborn

Ten-plus years on the periphery of the Texas goth underground netted me a lifetime's worth of faded-to-gray Alien Sex Fiend concert T's and enough Nightmare Before Christmas paraphernalia to open my own chain of Hot Topic clones, but the dreary fact of the matter is the last time I was in the Atomic Cafe was to use the loo on the way to Club DeVille. Still, if Sega ever comes out with a Legendary Pink Dots vs. Thrill Kill Kult Tag Team Deathmatch, I'll be first in line at Gamefellas. This three-track Lucid Dementia EP goes a long way toward making me miss the black pleather late-nights that made Ohms so appealing nine years ago. Opener "Twisted," remixed by former Terminal 46 guitar whiz Eric Gustafson, sets an appropriately creepy tone, with a sing-songey vox layered over a synth-heavy hailstorm of dark thuddy beats. Guitarsman Christian Fattaruso's screamy leads seem to have been rammed through a too-narrow fuzzgate at times, though you can't fault his playing. "Song for Newborn" offers less aggro and more of the standard icky gray day goth theatrics; it plods like a muggle on his way through the 9 to 5 grind. As for live closer "Heroin Grin," shrieking guitar lines do not a classic make, at least not this time, but Sheldon Reynolds' gitchy programming skills manage to stay your finger from the eject button long enough to wonder what Al Jourgensen's done for you lately. If it's not raining where you are when you put this on, it will be by the time you take it off.