Binge
Crash
Crisis
To most people, this would be just one of those curious little records that would provide a few hours enjoyment, possibly the soundtrack to a clumsy fetish party, but to me it’s a far more important artifact. Evidence, a clue if you will. For the drummer of this outfit is one Matthew Sorum, ex-Cult and MORE importantly the touring and studio drummer for Guns N’ Roses during the incredible Use Your Illusion run. Crash is a nice little clue to the whereabouts and mental state of the subject of my investigation, one W. Axl Rose. And from the evidence of this record, Mr. Rose is doing quite well indeed. Let me give it to you straight: Sorum never impressed me in Guns N’ Roses, he never had the drive that Steven Adler possessed in spades (let’s leave it ambiguous, okay?), and he always seemed just there for the party and the chicks. When Rose put the kibosh on the tour and wanted to get to work making some future music, well, Sorum was right out the door (man, I love revising history).
Here’s my point – if just being in the presence of Axl Rose was enough to give Matt “monkey-with-a-typewriter” Sorum the creative rub to contribute to something as enjoyable as Binge, I think this means that the next actual GNR record (touched by the hand of Axl, perhaps) will have children weeping over pictures of Saint Rose where the eyes actually appear to cry blood in the correct light. Oh, I bet you wanted me to talk about THIS record[sigma] It’s a competent experiment in industrial glam; on a three-song EP it’s hard to tell if the band got lucky, or if they really have any sort of staying power. I will say that Crash impressed me most with its Brendan Perry-esque vocal stylings and Numanoid/dub bass caramel core. Better than the last Nine Inch Nails single, I’ll tell you that much.
