God of Hell

When an industrial band tries really, really hard to be as scary as possible, it's almost impossible not to respond with either a yawn or a giggle. Because really, people -- this is pop music. Unless you're really serious about all the crypto-fascist imagery, there's really nothing to be scared of. (If you are serious about the crypto-fascist imagery, then it would be scary if you're a politician; if you're a band, it's just gross.) So despite the Gothic lettering and the Maltese crosses and the vultures and the scowling, shaven-headed singer wearing a monocle, and despite the growly German accent and the creepy/goofy slogans ("Beware! Free the world from the fascism of peace!"), the latest album from the Retrosic is really just a bunch of apocalyptic play-acting designed to appeal to unhappy teenagers who want to add a frisson of danger to their musical experimentation. The occasional silly lyric notwithstanding (sample couplet: "You don't have a soul to sell/Because your world is just called Hell"), the songs are generally not bad, and the instrumentals are especially nice; the relatively funky and complex "Sphere" is probably the album's highlight track. The rest will appeal to anyone who feels a little thrill in the stomach at the sight of a scowling, shaven-headed German wearing a monocle.