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PAINKILLER DOUBLE ALBUM VISION, SUBSPACE COMMUNICATIONS RELEASE: MARCH 29, 1999 REVIEW: MAY 22, 1999 
It's amazing how some bands have a change of heart during their careers. If you go back to 1992 and the first No Comment release "Harmony", you'll find traditional electronic EBM with fragments of synthpop mixed into it. The two latest albums are, to say the least, different. A reason for this may be a radical change in the line up after the release of the "Screen" album. Two members remained from the original band, Thomas Kowalzik and Rene Ebner. These two recruited singer/lyricist Franziska Kalb for the "Bondage" album and now continue their musical escapades with "Painkiller". An album quite similar to "Bondage" but without the hits that made that release so interesting. It's the same mixture of pop, synth, ambient and rock though. According to the promo material that came with it, it sounds like a mixture between Garbage, Portishead and Brian Eno. An interesting blend but No Comment are nowhere near as good as these artists anyway. "Back in the 80's" and "A Dream Within" may fool you into buying "Painkiller", but I advice you to think twice before you do. At least not without the limited second MCD that comes with the first 2000 copies. NIKLAS FORSBERG |
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