Violent New Breed |Relativity Records, 1993|

1. I'm a Gun, 2. Come Down, 3. Violent New Breed, 4. Enemy in Me, 5. Revolution, 6. Monkey Needs, 7. Rain, 8. Jihad, 9. Side F/X, 10. Sex, 11. Overkill, 12. I Come in Peace

It's one of the most interesting industrial rock or even industrial metal releases, because of very dynamic guitar and beat driven content covering the whole album. Since there is no mellow shit on the album, you should like it from the very beginning to the very end. You will not get any moment of rest during all that crazy drive which begins with "I'm A Gun". In fact, except of "Revolution" you’ll feel a part of amazing rhythm section cooperation while listening to the album.

That Swedish band rose from ashes of Shylock and Kingpin to begin its existence as Shotgun Messiah in 1987. All of their (three) albums were kept in different styles and moods, from glam rock, through metal, to industrial rock. The line-up was changing during all those years so the last album Violent New Breed was recorded with a presence of two musicians only - Harry Cody (guitars) and Tim Skold (bass, vocal), who became a member of KMFDM, MDFMK, Newlydeads and Marilyn Manson after Shotgun Messiah split. The two kept the band alive to its very end (1993).

When it comes to the best songs (from the best playlist ever!), I'd personally pick "Overkill", "Enemy in Me", "Sex" and "Jihad". Additionally, there's a dedicated video made for “Violent New Breed”. The songs are based on solid traditional rock music structures with melodic yet aggressive vocals. I can hear influences of Motley Crue, Megadeath, Nine Inch Nails or even Guns 'n' Roses in Shotgun Messiah music released on this album. The dynamics and rock guitar solos give the body new energy with every listening so a return to the album is a nice experience. However their music may be considered too “industrial” for American hard rock music fans, and too “rock” for the fans of industrial. I can make you sure though, there weren’t many albums that kind produced and it's unique value enjoys the most.

Violent New Breed wins over most of industrial rock or industrial metal albums up to date.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, 03/07/2010. Proofreading: Scott M. Owens. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)

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