American Apathy |Artemis Records, 2005|

DISC 1: 1. I'm Back, 2. Survive, 3. No Way Out, 4. Always, 5. Bastard, 6. Sex Machine , 7. Four More Years, 8. Revolution, 9. Let's Fuck, 10. Fuck the World, 11. I Wish I Was the President, 12. Dream, 13. The Fire, 14. People Are People (Depeche Mode Cover), 15. Bitch (Alternate Version), 16. Fuck tha Police (2005 Version) (NWA cover), 17. Burn

DISC 2 (BONUS CD): 1. De Bon Air (F*Ck Holly Wood Mix), 2. Now Is the Time (Alternate Version), 3. Motivation (Alternate Version), 4. Spin Me Round (American Psycho Mix) (Dead Or Alive Cover), 5. Bring it On (F*Ck Tomorrow Mix), 6. Sick (Hang Your Dead Mix)

First of all, it is not an industrial rock album, but very interesting thanks to its dynamics and aggression. You get punched during the first listening, especially if you are an American. "Trusting in the sanity and restraint of the United States is not an option." That statement opens the song "I'm Back" supported by simple lyrics wrapped into an aggressive form of dynamics within the music. The moods become even more powerful afterwards.

American Apathy it’s the the most developed and the most aggressive Dope album to date, or at least very similar to No Regrets which was released in 2009. These American musicians released their frustration and anger upon a decomposing structure of the United States, as well as other issues, instead of making up fancy and complicated songs. They mocked many social-political elements which ascended into an enormous size throughout recent years and intrusively entered the lives of citizens, pulling them away from mundane daily issues with tracks like "Fuck Tha Police" (a cover song of hip-hop N.W.A. with Ice T in the line-up back then, pissed off at L.A.P.D. oppression towards African-Americans), or "Four More Years" and "I Wish I Was The President".
The music and lyrics on this album point out a sex sphere within its more animal than sensual forms as in "Sex Machine", or in the context of the joy of having free spirited sex in "Let’s Fuck" (kept in Marilyn Manson’s music style) while the nu metal song "Always" speaks about friendly relationships.

There are songs like "Four More Years" (About negative associations with America based on its national flag) and tracks full of rebellion such as "Revolution": "Revolution! Can you hear me? This is our time. Revolution! Are you with me? It's about time" and later: "The weight of the world is on the shoulders of the man who can, but that's the way it is and it's the way it's always fucking been, forever and ever since this cold black world began, ruled by greed and by 'pocrisy and the superficial mind fuck again".
If a half of the citizens in the United States were fans of Dope, they’d probably go along with the band towards the White House lighting Molotov cocktails.

The album undoubtedly has an anti-political vibe like in "I Wish I Was the President": "I wish I was the President, I'd have a big white house with a yard and a fence so I could keep all the terrorists out. I'd be the king of the world I would lie and deny and get high with little honor role girls" in what seems to be an allusion to Bill Clinton and his oral romance with Monika Lewinsky, followed by: "I'd live a hell of a life I would never pay taxes and I'd barely have to see my wife".

It’s not surprising that rock musicians have often referred to the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy (2001) and related issues (For instance before Ministry quit they had been focused on laughing at former U.S. President George W. Bush and his pro-war politics). When the United States entered a deep economical crisis it sucked money away for armaments and got crazy about making newer and better ways to stop terrorism, but the biggest impact had stricken its citizens, then spread around the whole world forming a non written law: "The citizen has the right to lose his privacy" which evolved into the Patriot Act and a satellite system named Escelon launched on a spy mission of VoIP chats, tracking blogs, websites and social networks leading to seizures of the "suspects". All of this as religion carried its twisted message out among sacral places. Yes, even now this review is being scanned in case of harmful terrorist content because it is already filled with a few meaningful keywords and is easily available over the Internet. However, the frequency of the keywords is too low to put Fabryka Magazine on the blacklist.
(Hi guys! How are you doing?) ;)

Getting back to the songs. American Apathy is like a boxing bag. You can release your frustration and it reflects itself in the form of giving your own energy back, twice as heavy though. "Fuck The World" or "Bastard" are the perfect songs for both frustrated teens and adults. "No Way Out" is another example with the lyrics such as: "Sick of all the weakness and all the pain, sick of all the bullshit and the shots and the blame, sick of all the losers and all their lies… Sick of all you assholes and I wish you’d all just die". Plus a wall of crunchy guitar riffs and bass similar to Fear Factory songs with drums going nuts in the background. Cool, right?

The lyrics aren’t the strongest point of Dope, however they can make very well said, cynical summaries. What else is necessary to fill up dynamic music if not the simple, repetitive sentences co-existing well with guitar riffs and drum beats?

Are there any disadvantages on this album? Well, one, or perhaps even three, "Always", "Dream" and "The Life" didn’t match the tracklist as far as I was concerned. They sound as if they were the spare outcasts of previously released albums. The songs between tracks number 14 and 17 come from past Dope albums and it seems they were attached to this CD in slightly different versions.

That was the review of CD #1. The additional album contains mixes of previously released and better known Dope songs, which is actually a good idea. It’s also wise that they were added to American Apathy instead of any earlier albums thanks to their aggressive dynamics.

American Apathy has been rated high in many magazines and it this case I agree, but on the contrary I disagree with the opinions of those who classify the band as industrial rock or industrial metal.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, 07/22/2010. Proofreading: Scott M. Owens. Must not be used for promotional or commercial purposes. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)