Review by Shadowdoom9 (Andi) for Dog Fashion Disco - Committed to a Bright Future (2003)
I've heard about this band Dog Fashion Disco, having listened to a couple songs from them, and even tried listening to and reviewing one of their albums but I couldn't finish due to its experimental wackiness. I've never heard their 2003 album before this review, so I felt up to giving it some listening and a review to see if the band really is worth adding to my metal arsenal, as part of the Infinite review draft...
And let me tell you, they've really done their job well in this album, Committed to a Bright Future! It shows the band's talent at a nice pace, and it has given me the motivation to continue exploring this band instead of just giving up after part of it.
"Love Song for a Witch" opens as a fast pounder, creeping in with keyboards. The guitars and drums go almost as fast as thrash! "Rapist Eyes" is good, but d*mn these lyrics are so odd, not saying that odd is bad or anything. There's also great jazzy bass. "Dr. Piranha" continues the fast speed and cool keyboards, with a circus-like vibe. Vocalist Todd Smith really nails the bridge here. "Fetus on the Beat" was re-recorded from an earlier album The Embryo's in Bloom, having cool atmosphere.
"Worm in a Dog's Heart" starts with carnival-like keyboards with some cool bass bounce. The chorus sounds as progressive as Voivod's Nothingface, while the verses are weird in a good way. "Plastic Surgeons" is quite cool, though the xylophone soloing sounds odd in some places. Still great enough to keep the album's perfection! "Pogo the Clown" was re-recorded from another earlier album Experiments in Alchemy, a jazzy track graphically describing the murders committed by John Wayne Gacy. In saying that, the track is so amazing and versatile, with great bass! "Castaway" is a song I love so much, no words can describe it.
"Nude in the Wilderness" is a great track with a progressive bridge. Mike Patton would be proud. "The Acid Memoirs" would make Frank Zappa proud. It's so diverse! Though the bizarre lyrics are a bit bad, yet still not detracting the album's perfect score. "Deja Vu" is another jazzy re-recording from Experiments in Alchemy, this time with some atmospheric saxophone, cooling down for those who like John Zorn. Now, "Magical Band of Fools"... Is that funk?!? D*mn, the bass is so catchy, and so is some more sax!
The album has a couple hidden tracks ("Scores for Porn" and a cover of the theme for the musical/film "Grease"), but they don't hit as much as the awesome main release. Committed to a Bright Future can pretty much be one of my top 10 releases in alternative/avant-garde metal. Any fan of rock or metal should look into this bright future!
Favorites: "Love Song for a Witch", "Dr. Piranha", "Worm in a Dog's Heart", "Pogo the Clown", "Castaway", "Magical Band of Fools"