THE DAMAGE MANUAL
ONE
MINI ALBUM INVISIBLE RELEASE:
APRIL 25, 2000 REVIEW: MAY 25, 2000
"Industrial super group". The Damage Manual didn't exactly get my hopes up
before I heard them. Three alternative veterans with the common denominator
that they've all played in various groups with Martin
Atkins, who also, besides drumming, works like somewhat of coordinator and
driving force behind this project, could sound terribly stale.
But something happens, it's almost like a chemical reaction, when these three minds come together. The years gone by are almost peeled off and The
Damage Manual find a juvenile energy I could never dream of.
Much of the power comes from the rhythm section, pumping its fuel from
Atkins' huge, crunching drumming and the speeded, hollow dub bass of Jah
Wobble.
The two have a common past in the early, highly influential
incarnation of Public Image Ltd, and at their best The Damage Manual come
across as an updated version of this underrated band. Revolting Cocks,
Pigface and Finitribe (to name but a few) singer Chris Connelly naturally
pales beside PIL's John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, but he still handles his
role with excellence. Together with Killing Joke guitarist Geordie Walker
the three make for a perfectly balanced
band. And particulary the first three songs blow me away, with the climax
in the outrageous "Scissor Quickstep". It's punk, industrial, dub and an
irresistible pop chorus, all at the same time. The last four songs, and in
particular the two pointless, ending remixes, doesn't live up to this
beginning, but "One" is still an extremely promising debut that bodes well
for the soon to come full length album, as well as proof that it's sometimes
quite nice when your prejudices turn out to be wrong.
