Reviewed by Graham Jovanovic

 Craxed and darkly comic organ riffs open this menacing journey as if from some '50s-styled horror flick. Welcome to the wonderful world of Rackets and Drapes,  a band taking their lead from current American bad boy Marilyn Manson. Designed to appeal to Manson fans (and there have been suggestions of ripping off some of his tunes!) this won't seem shocking to you if you recall the work of Alice Cooper in the '70s. Throw in some growling, mike-smothering vocals and overdriven guitars and you have a combination with big appeal to goth fans as well. The hallmarks of the genre are to do with alienation and abuse and it comes as no surprise that these are the main concerns of the album. For example 'Babykiller' deals with the issue of abortion in a shocking, no holds barred manner and this uncompromising attitude is a creed the band seems to adhere to. The only drawback to such an outlook is that there is little relief from this doom laden view of the world. But for its intended audience this is riveting stuff.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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