Blackmail - Female Impersonator

Tracks :-

Female Impersonator
Demon’s Hide
I Become
World Of Misery

Total playing time : 20:21 (mins:secs)


Producer : Blackmail & Ove Svensson
Label : Ransom Records
Year : 1996

A change from the usual style of music reviewed in Mood Swings. So, who are Blackmail ? They’re a bunch of young Swedish guys who describe their music as ‘Heavy and progressive, Hard Rock’ (that’s progressive with a small p).

First up is the title track. With a title like Female Impersonator I didn’t listen too closely to the lyrics. A couple of relatively quiet seconds, before we launch into a grinding metal song, which has a few more quiet passages dispersed throughout just in front of the choruses. About the only band from the whole thrash movement, who I can actually get to grips with is Metallica. It’s not surprising then, that they spring to mind when listening to these guys. Imagine if Metallica or Megadeth updated their sound to take on board elements of post grunge/alternative rock.

Demon’s Hide is more of a straight ahead heavy, and I mean heavy, metal approach. You know why Metallica are about the only thrash era band I can stand ? Well, it’s simply that James Hetfield can actually sing. With Sepultura, Napalm Death and even Megadeth, it’s virtually impossible to decipher what the vocalists are ranting on about. With Blackmail, the singer manages to keep things on the right side of the grunt/singing line. I Become is another ultra heavy assault on the ears.

World Of Misery retains many of the qualities of what’s gone before, but with a more traditional flavour. This is the best song on offer and the one that shows the most promise. Any band that samples Monty Python must get some points for coolness.

I have to say that I rarely listen to anything this heavy, although you’ve probably noticed reviews of Metallica and Dream Theater (the only band get a rating of 10) in Mood Swings. There are elements of Metallica and Awake-era Dream Theater in here, that why I like this one. This sort of music only works for me with a really good production job to convey the power in the music. Given the fact that this is on Blackmail’s own label, which I assume meant a tight budget, I amazed that the production is so good.

I’d have liked to have seen a little more variety on offer, but I recognise that this is difficult to do in only 4 songs and still get across what that band is really all about. I’d like to see how they fare on a whole album’s worth of material. At the end of the day it's just a tad on the heavy side to suit my personal tastes and the rating reflects this.

Rating : 7

If you’re interested in this one, then go to the Links page where you can surf on over to their web site.

Mood Swings - Nigel Wilson - All Rights Reserved