You would think the people at Frontline Records would know where liars go. Heaven forbid they advertise the release of Deitophobia's Myx Records debut Clean last fall and then not follow through on the goods. To their credit, I'm sure they were just as surprised as we were when the much-hyped release date rolled around and the band was still in the studio. The question now becomes, "Is Clean worth the wait?"
As industrial bands go, Deitophobia is not very good—pick any song off their new release, and it's likely to sound more like Depeche Mode than KMFDM. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Millions of people line up each year to buy Depeche Mode reords. Unfortunately, Deitophobia has a tendency, at times, to sound uncannily like Depeche Mode trying to cover KMFDM. That is, Deitophobia often lacks either the intensity of hardcore industrial or the catchiness of good club techno-pop.
There are some exceptions, however. The opening cut, "The Shake," has an intense groove and a great chant-along chorus. The simple one-line lyric of "Ancients" and its Middle Eastern modality lifts the track from mediocrity to an ambient art rock hit. New band members Sherry Shaw (bride of band founder Wally Shaw) on keyboards and vocals and Josh Plemmon on guitar take great strides at improving the depth of Deitophobia's sound.
Unfortunately, Deitophobia too rarely finds the spark that ignites these tracks, and most of the record fails to make an impression. Clean isn't really a bad record, it just lacks the creative oomph to make a really good record. With time, a new producer, and a whole lot of fan support, Deitophobia should be able to pull a winner of a record out of their collective hat. But for now, Clean leaves the listener with just a feeling of indifference.
3.5/5
Other coverage for this album
Heaven's Metal #48Reviewed by Eric ShireyFinally, the new Deitiphobia has arrived. With new members on board, Wally has achieved a different sound than previous albums. With the addition of guitarist Josh Plemons, some of the songs are given a feel of Chemlab, or "Head Like A Hole" -era Nine Inch Nails. Wally's wife, Sherri, sings and plays keyboard on a few tunes. Sherri's vocals kind of remind one of KMFDM's female vocals. The album…
