S.V.D. HOPE ALBUM DEPENDENT RELEASE: FEBRUARY 22, 2003 REVIEW: MARCH 14, 2003

S.V.D. stands for St. Vitus Dance, an affliction which was tied to the infamous St. Anthony's Fire in the 1400:s. Think rye mold (ergot fungus) which induced religious visions in the peasantry and madness in general.
This band is the first new Vancouver BC release in the hard electro vein in quite some time. And the legacy which S.V.D. has to live up to is daunting. Do they manage? No, not really. The songs are held back and do not deliver. As a matter of fact, most of them drift along rather aimlessly for four or five minutes and then end rather unsatisfyingly. The lead single "Big Bad City" shows promise but it is rather formulaic in its construction. The other song titles are pretty original: "Eyes", "Destiny", "Worm Wood", "Decay", "Sex Love", "IV 5", "Amputate", "Hope" and "Rectomorph". Yawn.
It sounds as though pro-tools was heavily relied upon for the making of this album. Dependent has made an investment in the BC sound, and for that I feel they should have gotten something a bit more original than this.

PETER MARKS