Sunday, May 3, 2009

Fury In The Slaughterhouse - Mono

In 1992, a small alternative band hailing from Germany known as Fury In The Slaughterhouse hit the US airwaves and embarked on a massive marketing campaign giving away free singles of their hit song Every Generation Got Its Own Disease. This was taken from the album Mono and the band caught the attention of some college students, formed a fan base, and went on to nominal success.

Mono is a great rock record produced in an early nineties style. When grunge and alternative were booming and the airwaves were dominated by the likes of Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, and Bush, Fury In The Slaughterhouse came out with Mono. The disc is a blend of all those bands combining the signature style of the nineties with the rocking influence of the eighties, and the heavier riffs of the seventies.

The disc opens with The Brainsong, which starts with the sound of a scratchy record being played. The static that comes from placing the needle on the vinyl would put a smile on those old enough to remember buying and enjoying records on a regular basis. Halfway through the song, it kicks into stereo and the drums crash in with a heavy beat. This is a great lead off track that grabs the listener’s interest and makes them pay attention.

Every Generation Got Its Own Disease is the second song on the disc. A haunting, poetic, dark song with a cool guitar riff, this song is bound to please the ear.

Dead Before I Was Born is a catchy rock tune that discusses the confusion we all sometimes feel, especially in youth, when we do not understand out purpose or justification for existence.

The best track on the disc has to be When I’m Dead And Gone. The song starts with a blatant D’Yer Maker (Led Zeppelin) rip off drum intro and then kicks into its own groove. It’s a catchy song that makes you want to dance and sing along. Certainly not very innovative, but the draw is in the song’s simplicity. This is a song that could be played over and over again without getting tired.

Won’t Forget These Days is the closest this band does to doing a ballad. It’s a song of remembrance and not wanting to let go of the moment that you are in. The blend of acoustic, electric, and bass guitars sets a nice tonal background for the deep-throated voice that sings over the top of them. The message in the music is hold onto this moment, because there may never be another one like it. The song closes with a cool little whistle, which for some reason was extremely popular for the early part of the nineties.

Friendly Fire is another almost ballad that isn’t a war song. It’s actually a song about unrequited love. The narrator wants to be in love with the object of his desire, but she no longer wants to be with him, thus they’ve started a game of no return, a game of friendly fire.

Money Rules is a hard rocking track that discusses, what else, money. A homage to how money holds the power and with the right amount, a person can buy their way out of a lot of trouble. Money rules, let’s buy the world.

The album closes with a clunker titled In Your Room. Not a good song at all. Slow, dreary, and a song that tried to be more than it was. Closing the disc with this song was not the best production decision. Friendly Fire would have made a much better closer, if the producers were looking for a slow song to end with.

So, is it worth it? Well, if you can find Mono by Fury In The Slaughterhouse, it is definitely worth the time and the money you would spend. The disc held up over the years and is as relevant today as it was in 1992, perhaps even more so. The disc can be found on Ebay, Amazon, and independent record shops across America.

Ryo’s Rating: 8.5 (out of 10)

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