The Musical Dimension of Sleastak

Few bands have undergone such immense changes in style as O.L.D. has. Their split EP with Assück predicted the music on “Lo Flux Tube”, on which they had already abandoned their bizarre and humorous blend of grind/metal madness to persue a more psychedelic industrial course, and to venture even deeper into the realms of deformed madness on “The Musical Dimensions Of Sleastak”, which is by far their most experimental record. The last remnants of metal have faded, and are replaced by more electronic weirdness from the brilliantly twisted Plotkin brain, that would make Melt-Banana guitarist Agata wallow in jealousy.
Some might call it unlistenable. Others will call it adventurous.
It is however undeniably original, and it has withstood the test of time. I believe it has something to do with the fact that instead of trying to mix different styles with metal, they just let go of everything in order to create something free of existing labels or patterns. For that matter, I do not understand the comparison to Ministry in the review below. Despite the fact that they have both created some weird stuff, O.L.D.´s music as a whole is entirely different from the music of these industrial thrash cowboys.

“The Musical Dimensions Of Sleastak”, is an album one should listen in full, in order for it to make any sense. The songs are not as much traditionally arranged, as they are part of a larger whole, which is a 66 minute long trip through the corners of human comprehension. However, the first half of the album consists of relatively individual and “constructed” pieces, while a large part of the second half of the album a more free form seems to take over. Opening with a slow cut & paiste sequence, building to a crescendo, from where the album levels somewhat, with the song “ Two of me” which, just as “Happy tantrum” could easily have been on their previous album “Lo Flux Tube”.. The drumcomputer blurts out pounding breakbeats, accompanied by sometimes galloping, sometimes staggering bass-lines and add to Plotkin´s genius as a composer and musician obsessed with strange sounds and equipment. Seemingly illogical textures and `colours` present themselves out of the blue, like King Crimson´s `Discipline`on acid. Plotkin´s effect laden guitars and Dubin´s processed vocals sound like fluids pulsating through distant metal veins in some cosmic machine adrift in a universe of strangely pitched soaring tones and drones. Odd loops, samples, noises and strange percussion set an atmospere that´s both hypnotic and relaxing, as it is chilling and disturbing.

Higly recommended to those who dig industrial weirdness, noise-scapes, experimentalism, and other challenging sounds.

If the intention here is to make fun of Ministry, then I suppose OLD was successful. However, if they were attempting to create anything exceptionally listenable, they have failed.

I'm sure there is someone out there who says this is pure genius, that you just have to LISTEN INTENTLY and you will FIND THE PATTERNS, the MAGICAL PATHS TO THE INNER MIND, etc. I think not. It just sounds like some people messing around with technology, trying to create very long songs and test people's patience.

Each and every track on here sounds like the obligatory "chaotic" track that Ministry puts on their albums. And while Ministry has some tight, driving industrial tunes, this OLD disc just meanders from half-baked idea to half-baked idea. It sounds like the drums are live, or maybe they aren't, the vocals are heavily distorted and sound kind of gremliny when there are vocals, and there are some truly bad keyboards. Maybe at the time this was made it was kind of advanced, but then when I listen to Godflesh it doesn't seem this is the case.

Enough trash talk. There are a few moments here and there, and the last track is apparently about an obscure character from Star Wars going through some sort of compressor, backwards. For that it gets fifteen percent. But there is definitely a reason someone gave this to me for free.