This is a rather brief collaborative effort (the LP runs about 20 minutes) that was recorded and mixed in both 1998 and 2002 (an oddly spaced out time frame), and whose themes are based heavily around Michael Douglas' character from the movie "Falling Down". "Falling Star" begins side A with a throbbing bass thud and swirling ambient undercurrents alongside abrasive distorted crackling sounds that swell to the foreground on occasion. Manipulated samples (some or all of which are from the aforementioned film) and vocals rest somewhere in the middle, and the vocals are basically spoken. A bit more lo-fi is "Hate Crime", which begins with a weird sample from an old pop type of song called "Melting Pot" as various rugged distorted textures gradually fade in amongst some other spoken samples that are layered over top of one another, becoming hard to discern. "Goin' Home" contains additional raw distorted textures in a slightly more minimal format, with vocals that range from speaking to shouting, though I can't really make out much of the content due to the ruggedness of the distortion. Most, if not all, of the vocals are quoting lines from "Falling Down"... "It feels good to exercise your rights, doesn't it?", for example. The most abrasive piece is definitely the title track, which ends the record, if for no other reason than the appearance of those patented aggressive vocal shouts (which are mixed very loudly) under heavy effects, with some muddy textures rumbling away underneath. It's louder and a bit more biting than the other three compositions, though I can't say it's as strong. The recording seems to hold this material back somehow. "Falling Star" sounds the best, what with its calmer tones (to some degree), but everything else seems somewhat thin and dirty, which is fine, but it leaves the material feeling sort of flat overall, and it lacks atmosphere as a result. And I'd be lying if I said the layout was anything but an utter disappointment. This is quite possibly the worst looking release that either The Grey Wolves or Con-Dom have ever been involved with. Both groups, especially The Grey Wolves, have shown an excellent knack for simple, raw xerox collages in the past, and have used such visuals very effectively. But here, that general style has been taken into the digital age, and it fails miserably. The fonts are awful, the imagery is pixilated and sloppy... it just looks like shit. Totally unprofessional and devoid of the classic aesthetic for which they're known. Everything in the gatefold sleeve looks as though it was printed from a low-resolution .jpg image that was taken off of a website and resized. Quite a pity. They should toss the computers and go back to the copy shop, I'm sorry to say. Also included is a CD-R that contains all four tracks from the LP, in order, recorded live at a performance in Birmingham on August 15, 2002. The recording isn't that bad, really. I'd almost argue that it sounds better than the LP simply because there's a heavier dose of low-end thickness added to the mix. However, the samples and vocals are very hard to hear as a result, because the actual sounds are dominant in most cases. Of course the live performance is a bit different than the LP tracks, but for the most part they've done a good job of representing the recorded work in a similar manner. All four tracks are easily recognizable, which isn't always the case. If they had somehow been able to mix the vocals louder and make the samples standout as they do on the LP, the CD-R would be pretty damn good. I definitely like the thicker sounds of the distorted electronics, I must say. The CD-R comes in a foldout black and white sleeve that contains the same artwork as the LP sleeve, though adjusted to different proportions and slightly less pixilated since it's printed smaller. It still doesn't look great, but it does look better. This release is limited to just 985 copies, only the first 100 of which come with the live CD-R. I can't say this is essential by any means, but if you can find this for a fair price and you're a longtime fan of the contributing parties, you might want to check it out... especially if you can get the bonus CD-R, as that does add some extra value to the package.
[Power and Steel]
Running time - 42:25 (approximately), Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Falling Star, Goin' Home, Hate Crime (live), Many are Called But Few Get Up (live)]
Power and Steel - http://www.loki-found.de
