music reviews

::: Headbutt ::: "Solvent Bassed Product"

Industrial - punk - grunge

This was one of many solvent products that I recently received in a huge package from Suggestion Records in Germany. I was very happy to hear more Headbutt as I had stumbled across one of their early releases, "Pissing Down" in the early 90s and greatly treasured it - especially when it's so hard to find their music - being a truely underground U.K. outfit. I feel that I should be able to just call their music "industrial", rather than say it's "industrial-punk-grunge" as it really is loyal to the true roots of industrial music.

However, I've used the words "punk" and "grunge" to indicate that it is quite distinct to the varieties of quantised overly polished electronica that go under the banner of "industrial". Headbutt really is "industrial": raw, emotive and powerful. The instrumentation consists mostly of rattling and driving industrial banging percussion, feedback, strange noises, numerous monster bass guitars, and chanting howling vocals that snarl even more than Cubanate. A few tracks feature electronic jungle breakbeat percussion and sampling; with an Indian influence.

The best comparison I can think of, is imagine a mix between Einsteurzende Neubauten at their raw best in the mid 80s, Test Dept from the mid to late 1980s circa "the Unnacceptable Face of Freedom" and "Legacy" albums, mixed with the industrial-clanging rock of Australia's Insurge. I don't know if anyone knows Insurge outside of Australia, but for those who do, imagine a rawer version of Insurge that is without the poppy hooks or the overt politics. In fact, if you like any of the above-mentioned bands, I'd wager that you'll love Headbutt too. 9 tracks bleed your brain over the course of 50 minutues.

Available for $???? from Suggestion Records/Speeding Across my Hemisphere: PO Box 1403, 58285, Gevelsburg, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] Headbutt can be contacted at: PO Box 2879 London N7 6DF England.