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"The Damage" Tapping The Vein |
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Not exactly "The Needle and the Damage Done" but not far off either. I'm not implying drug use is involved in their recreational activity yet this frightfully effective combination of sounds tends to suggest otherwise. TTV's moniker was provided indirectly by horror guru Clive Barker, "The Damage" was created entirely within the limits of their own restless resourcefulness. At first as a listener you're
taken aback by the sensual female vocals that beautiful as they are…
well you're not "The Ledge," "Butterfly," and "Beautiful" run rampant over your nervous system, soothing one moment, scathing the next, prevalent always, are turbulent mood swings laced in ambience and impending storm-like qualities revealing much more than simple Goth/Metal attributes. Maybe you've heard them on the "Unquiet Grave" tribute to former greats of the Gothic realm-don't remember them, wish I did, but here's plenty enough to go by. "Again" and the title track are two of the three choice cuts, with opener "The Ledge," to really signify the bands' potential, easily revealed if not so easily followed in this lunging, lurking move through the dark crawlspace. "The Damage," doesn't always get the job done-in and around the latter half I'm swearing I heard that one before-but save for the anorexic Anathema-like production quality, impresses enough on an individual level with its tactical combination of Gothic, spastic, ethereal, erratic, distorted and disturbing black cloud passages; Alanis' finally flown free from the nuthouse and united with a three winged beast of a rhythm section to spawn this dim-witted and darkly lit debut-"Damage" done. Released by Nuclear Blast Records,
Haupstrasse 109 - 73072 Dusseldorf. Germany Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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