Customer Reviews

Prescription: Medicide

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

2004's Prescription: Medicine by Grendel may not have broken new ground or sent shock waves throughout the industrial community, but this dutch workhorse can do something many of their peers can't; consistently succeed to entertain.

The synth lines may not be very complex and the vocals may seem somewhat pushed back in the mix but Grendel pounds and doesn't let up from start to finish (I was quite surprised by the intensity of the later tracks, normally a space reserved for more "chilled" songs.) Any sign of weakness this machine may expose is only to serve as a contrast to the next assault of pounding rage.

Some people compare Grendel to Wumpscut, I feel this is a somewhat unfair comparison. To compare Wumpscut's later work to this band's relatively early work doesn't put into perspective how well-established Wumpscut is now and how simplistic a lot of Ratzinger's early work was. Considering the volume of work Wumpscut has released, comparing Grendel to Wumpscut is like comparing Combichrist to KMFDM.

I consider this a solid release based on its aggression, relentlessness and the fact that it is a genuinely enthralling listen. While experimenting is always important in music we must not forget that making entertaining music has its place too and should be at the forefront of thought for any musician, and this is where Grendel comes in, they release good music. It may not be mind-blowing, but it definitely isn't dull.

I think that Grendel has potential to do some great things, but speaking for this album, I wasn't verry impressed. There are a few songs that are really good, but for the most part the vocals were recorded too low and many of the synth lines are verry basic and lack anything new or original. Grendel is related to the EBM/Industrial genre that is being done much better by artist such as Wumpscut, Suicide Cammando, and Hocico. I don't think Grendel is nearly as good as those bands are. Grendel has a long ways to go still...not a five star effort thus far.

This was my first Grendel album, and to be honest, I had almost given up on this artist based on this album. The lyrics are barried so far below the electronics that you can barely hear a single word, much less understand it. The music is cheap, and the synth notes are hardley impressive. All in all, this album is about a 2.5, but since I can't vote that way, I'd sooner give it a 2 than a 3. If your new to Grendel, don't start your collection here. The newer album "Harsh Generation" is way, way, way, way, way, way, better.