gatekeeper
You wouldn’t dare tell Matt “The Lord” Zane that he has a big ego. He might make a nasty proposition. On ‘The Sound That Ends Creation’, the vocalist offers up an energetic, scathing vocal performance over top of metal tracks that at some times retain an industrial flavor and others are purely bone jarring metal insanity. Society 1 pick up where Ministry left off on ‘Psalm 69’, but throw many more metal rhythms into the foray.
‘Let Me Live’ takes on an almost grungy flavor that is super accessible for a band that is so in your face and intentionally offensive in a live format. ‘6 Months’ is a great example of the diversity of the band as they flow from cyber-punked up bashing to ghostly reverberations. ‘No Father’ offers up a dose of down tuned Soundgarden style sludge and Zane pulls off some quality vocals here, backed up with balls and cocky as hell. This song’s over the top religious references are the only thing keeping this electro-sludge from crushing radio.
The extremity of the topical matter Zane tackles in his lyrics is the only factor that holds this band back. Yes, it’s their shtick, it’s the image that adds to their appeal, but at times it goes overboard, sacrificing ambiguity in search of Manson’s ‘Antichrist Superstar’ crown of thorns.
Make no mistake; these guys can write a great riff. At the same time, Society 1 has a good sense of arrangement that focuses on speaker blasting Celestion crunch folding into razor wire harmony breaks.
Songs like ‘Touch A Girl’ and ‘Bleed’ are so filled with attitude that listeners will instantly respond to the outrageous themes and for metal listeners, this is an absolute magnet.