Coming fourteen years after M.A.N. is GISM's third longplayer, and sadly their last, due to the untimely death of guitarist Randy Uchida. This CD-only release finds a middle ground between Detestation's ferocity and M.A.N.'s metalisms and industrial experiments. The first track is understated and ambient with clean guitars and spoken/sung vocals that I'm tempted to refer to as "jazzy". With track two the roof is blown off and the listener is reminded that this IS a GISM record after all. For the next ten tracks the listener is pummeled by brutal guitars, fierce rhythms and, above it all, Sakevi's manic roars. The pressure finally lets up for the last three tracks, "Phenomenal Exile in Schizophrenic Patients", which veers into industrial sound collage for 20 minutes or so, followed by the last two unlisted tracks of sound collage and sine wave experimentation.
-GEOFF W.