Redemption

by

Imperative Reaction

Edit

Someone needs to tell Imperative Reaction that we already have a KMFDM. Still, IR mastermind Ted Phelps did his homework; comparisons to Sascha and Co. aren't a bad thing. If you dropped "Arrogance" into the middle of ANGST, I'm certain only the hardcore fans would notice. Phelps perfectly emulates the house music energy and beats, the gritty, quasi-rapped vocals and exploding choruses of said album's era(think "Light"). "Something I Left Behind" carries the same cross, though here the vocals are stripped of their anger, favoring a more exposed sound (imagine a younger, angrier Dave Gahan). From there, the album gets weaker: "Giving In to the Change" is essentially a Paul Oakenfold track with vocals, and "Faded Into One" is...well, another Paul Oakenfold track with vocals. For "Your Truth" and "Salvation", Phelps ups his ire, slows the tempo, and pushes up the distortion on the bass and vocals, but once again... KMFDM's sloppy seconds.

What would save this album? Removing all the dance albums from Phelps's collection and forcing him on a Black Sabbath binge would certainly drown him in the dark and brooding mood he unsuccessfully attempts on Redemption ("Now the sky is gray / the air is all that listens / a tattered frame / swaying in the breeze" -- puh-leeze!) -- but maybe that's not his goal. Regardless, Phelps should want to be more than a middling ripoff artist.