MELTED BODIES

MELTED BODIES     "The Inevitable Fork"

By Dr. Abner Mality

I don't know if SoCal outfit MELTED BODIES are quite as weird as they'd like us to believe. Their promo sheet makes them sound like the craziest thing ever. Now these guys are certainly not a conventional band, but compared to the likes of INGURGITATING OBLIVION, STOLEN BABIES or SLEEPYTIME GORILLA MUSEUM, they're not that off their rocker. "The Inevitable Fork" is a collection of three MELTED BODIES EPs into one massive beast. If I could hazard a brief description of the band, I'd say they are kind of a cross between MINISTRY and SYSTEM OF A DOWN, with a bit of NINE INCH NAILS tossed in. 

The modern industrial influence here is very strong and I would classify them much more as a hard industrial band than straight metal. When MELTED BODIES is heavy, though, they don't go half way....the record is full of bursts of thick guitar and massive synth tones.There are 19 (!) tracks to ponder here...early cuts like "Bloodlines" and "The Hot Dog Contract" are full of MINISTRY-like crush and overkill. The lead vocals are eccentric in the style of Serj from SYSTEM OF A DOWN, with a mixture of conversational blather, nervous yelps and hair-raising screams.

As the album progresses, the synth beats become more pronounced and sometimes almost dance-like ala KMFDM. I gather the concept of "The Inevitable Fork" is centered around mental illness and how society seems to be mirroring the breakdown of an individual...we get brief spoken interludes from a mopey female who sounds like she has missed her meds.

Late in the album, we get treated to a mellow pop ballad ("Talk Some More About It") which sounds like it could play on adult contemporary radio. I'm sure this demonstrates unpredictability, but the song is eminently forgettable and it's soon back to electro-injected metallic crunch. There is a certain listenability and interest here if you don't mind a sizable amount of industrial electronics in your tuneage. Plan accordingly.

MELTED BODIES