DEATHSTARS TERMINATION BLISS ALBUM NUCLEAR BLAST, SOUND POLLUTION RELEASE: JANUARY 27, 2006 REVIEW: DECEMBER 27, 2005

All dressed in quasi-fascistic military clothes and poised for major breakthrough, Sweden’s Deathstars yet again deliver goth rock in the industrial borderland. Tongue in cheek, yet again the also celebrate death and darkness, both in lyrics and imagery. And if you ask me if they are both immature and unoriginal, I have to answer "yes". Deathstars seem to have listened a lot to Marilyn Manson, Rammstein and Sisters of Mercy’s "Vision Thing" and have also, evidently, overdosed on Vertigo Comics and they are not afraid to show it.

But I still can’t help but being impressed with their stubbornness and sense for pop hooks. Yes, just as on their debut "Synthetic Generation", Deathstars actually manage, among slower and more boring numbers, to produce a bunch of songs that are potential dance hits for Germans everywhere. This time Deathstars have even made their keyboards sound like something fellow Swedish pop band Melody Club would want to use. That said, faster tracks like "Death in Vogue" are the strongest and more down tempo songs like "Trinity Fields" are better off avoided.

"Termination Bliss" is not a great record, neither is it original. But it is fun and catchy, and that goes a long way.

KALLE MALMSTEDT

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