God Leaves (and Dies)

Only if the Frenchman was a bit taller cause this angel of the bottomless Swiss pit here soars high above the grey rainy clouds… no, don’t worry, the topic today won’t be about dethroned emperors; we’ll actually look at proverbial collaborations, more or less successful, on the music scene… super-groups that did try to defy God, nearly kicking it out of heaven before the inevitable demise.

This partnership here was to be expected; the two acts, Coroner and Celtic Frost that is, had been good buddies since time immemorial, and it only made sense for band members from the two outfits to start jamming together, especially during the transformational 90’s. Marquis Marky was coming from the divisive but still interesting “Grin” whereas the Frosts embarrassed themselves a bit with the mish-mashy unfocused “Nemesis of Power” demo. Nothing too “Cold Lake”-y, mind you, but still, not worth it trying anymore. That was it, it was over and done for them, and although Coroner were still semi-operational at the time when this project was born, it was obvious that the new vogues were beckoning more or less irresistibly in both camps. Grab the title of an old Frost song (“Under Apollyon’s Sun”) for the name of this new initiative, and boom… you’re ready to go.

If a joint “Grin” was expected to be produced by this new at the time stint, then there must have been quite a few disappointed faces in the crowd; cause this isn’t. It’s also a conformity gesture but is one that holds nothing back… I mean, the old school attire has been tucked away categorically, already gathering dust somewhere in the attic. This is an industrial metal dancorama which doesn’t hide its fascination with what Die Krupps, KMFDM and the Austrians Fetish 69 were doing at the same time, bouncy sterile guitars with quiet atmospheric moments and voice/ambient samples unevenly scattered around, the Warrior adjusting his vocal bravado with the frequently-shifting musical tides, offering both composed recitals and more aggravating semi-clean tirades along the street. Said street definitely requires some cleaning by a dirgy steam-rolling track the latter vehicle provided by “Reefer Boy”, this one also recalling Godflesh, a listless barely movable canvas on which “The Cane” tries to draw a few jumpier expletives… to no avail, though, as the setting has already become as dispassionate as ever, the stiff chuggy noises emitted by “Concrete Satan” making even the denizens of Hell feel cold and unwanted. The belated vividness of “Bedlam and Blind” is more than welcome initially, but it becomes clear only too quickly that this electronic abrasive assembly is more of an invitation to join the crowds from the club across the street, sweeping the dance floor with your rusty stiff, bear-like moves.

Nope, Apollyon isn’t synonymous with a conquest of the music arena; it’s true that by the time this EP came out, the 90’s audience had already gotten accustomed to similar electronic/industrial vistas, but to find solace and dance inspiration in the output of former metal luminaries was the last thing on the 90’s club goer’s mind. It’s also true that, according to the standards of said vistas, this effort has been faithfully and duly executed, but are we talking innovators and (wicked) procreators here, or a bunch of ageing metallers who desperately want to feel young again by swaying around, looking for inspiration in the works of their compatriots Swamp Terrorists, to give another example; a band who must have held these guys in high esteem when starting their career…

nope, not an enviable status, trying to learn the tricks and gimmicks of those who appeared way after you… again it’s professionally rendered and all, like the veterans really wanted to learn these new tools of the trade and apply them for a bit… but this is as far as badly disguised sincerity will take you; cosmetic alterations with the new electronic/industrial technology can be a painful, wound-inducing process. But the band did carry on, and even came up with a full-length two years later, both an elaboration and an expansion on their endeavours here, consequently a more shameful attempt at a metamorphosis that didn’t seem to suit them at all… and it was never meant to in the first place.

Their numetal stubbornness even spawned ideas for a second album at the start of the new millennium, those collected on the “Flesh” demo… trying to find new flesh for the resurrection of a fallen/dethroned emperor? Like Napoleon? Nah, the Frenchman had better stay dead… cause this therapy would surely bring him back at least three inches shorter.

Making up some of the years Tom G. Warrior let go by between Celtic Frost's Vanity/Nemesis and Monotheist, Apollyon Sun appears to most as just an offshoot, a short lived and ill fated side project. Had this particular brand of Fischer Trademark sound lasted just a couple of albums longer, I believe this notion would be in the minority. And speaking of Monotheist, after that album was released there was little doubt that Mr. Fischer had some love for industrial metal. I mean, some of the more groovy moments of the album (and Triptycon's Eparistera Daimones for that matter) are not a far cry from Godflesh's heaviest moments. But it's here, obviously, where the industrial aspect reaches its zenith, and where the sludgy moods that would later make up the bulk of the previously mentioned albums would first rear its head.

What we have here, basically, is what would happened if we were to mix Vanity/Nemesis with a very electronic, experimental industrial metal album, namely Godflesh's Us And Them. In this particular case the musical spectrum leans slightly more towards the Godflesh side, although every chuggy and monochromatic guitar riff has the latter Celtic Frost trademark all over it.

Still, the similarities with Us And Them and, on the more electronic, almost trance-ish side of things, Aborym's early works are considerable. It is only when you notice this album came out in 1998 and both Us And Them and Aborym's debut came out in 1999 that you begin to appreciate Apollyon Sun's efforts. Along the ones already mentioned, one can draw parallels between the more electronic-friendly moments of this release and some old madchester/baggy bands, namely Primal Scream circa Screamadelica (1991), with strong jungle moments and sample-happy drumming/sound clips. At times, one could almost describe this as a heavier (in the traditional sense of the word) Rammstein circa Sehnsucht (1997). In fact, seeing as there's only one year apart from each other, it wouldn't surprise me to learn Rammstein acted as an influence, even if it were to be a very distant one.

Now, on to the particulars of the music itself. The vocals, for starters, are very unique in Mr. Fischer's history. They're not as deep as raspy as they would get to be in Monotheist, yet they dwell almost entirely on the lower register, going from a raspy black metal grow to a low, drunken and throaty voice during the spoken parts, and everything in between. Quite interesting when you're used to early Celtic Frost's "URGH!" and latter CF/Triptycon's undead, inhuman and ghastly voice/raspy growls.

The guitars, I do admit, are quite subdued, but they're there and not to be under appreciated. They're not present throughout the album even though all tracks are certainly metal and therefore guitar-centered, but they do have a strong presence and a distinctive air to them. As mentioned, they have the Fischer trademark all over them, so the strongly familiar sounds of chuggy, heavy dissonance and paradoxically aggressive sludginess will bring a smile to anyone who enjoyed the more groovy/doom oriented moments of Fischer's trajectory.

I realise Marky Edelmann of Coroner fame is behind the drum set, yet the drumming is probably the weakest element of the whole album, consisting of very simple mid paced patterns alternated with sampled/machine drumming which make up the base of the faster, jungle-ish moments. The actual human drumming is not as heavy as it should be, both in sound and execution, which steals some weight and momentum from the other instruments, mainly the guitars. It kinda takes away some damp, obscure element of ambiance from which the record could have benefited greatly. Not that it ruins the album, they work perfectly fine as they are, but they're a big let down nonetheless.

Bass would be a completely unimportant (damn near non existent) element were it not for its crunchy distorted sound which adds an extra (and much needed) layer of heaviness to the guitar tone, complementing it and extending it downwards with every spring-like note. That's yet another element which reminds me strongly of Godflesh.

So yes, this short lived "side project" has a lot going on for itself, further proof that, except for Cold Lake (I prefer to blame that one on everyone else, myself), everything Tom Fischer touches becomes gold. If you're looking for some interesting industrial metal, and metal in general, this should be your #1 choice. Truly this is a lost gem of the genre. It has enough heaviness and Fischer riffage to sit proudly next to Monotheist on any metaller's collection, and enough originality and excitement to count as an important and unique release in such a stale genre as industrial metal (or industrial music, for that matter). If you even remotely like industrial and/or Fischer's brainchilds, you must give this a try at least once.