Search - Mentallo & Fixer :: Systematik Ruin

A companion EP to 1999's Algorythum, Systematik Ruin features nine tracks (66 minutes!) of Mentallo & the Fixer's signature spaced-out electronic jams. You get a lot for your money--three mixes each of "Systematik Ruin" and "Carbon Based" (both of which appear on the full-length) plus two new tracks, "Inner Peace" and "Michael." Longtime fans of this Texas-based industrial powerhouse may be taken aback by the band's progression in sound--live drums, quieter atmospherics, less aggressive approach--but Gary Dassing (notably sans his brother and collaborator, Dwayne) is stretching his sonic palette while still "keeping it real": the swirling, dark synths and industrial rhythms remain in effect, but rather than let these elements fall into clichés, Dassing complicates things, layering and weaving the live percussion, chopping it up and reassembling it into confusing stop-start patterns. He both succeeds and fails. The groove-oriented "Systematik Ruin" retains some coherency and momentum, but the interesting percussive elements on "Inner Peace" and "Michael" are ruined by cheesy synth-pop vocals and cheesy goth vocals, respectively. Completists will want this EP, but others are better off avoiding it in favor of Algorythum. --Steve Landau