On Monday, FANGORIA MUSICK Welcomed new staffer Doctor Raven to the crew. In his first review he took a listen to the new album from Combichrist (see review here). For his second helping, he enters the sonic realm of Combichrist's current tourmates, Black Light Burns.
Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit fame left the former “Rap-Metal” act in 2001 to begin working on solo projects that wouldn’t limit his own personal creative outlets. Having reported to have always been a fan of darker alternative rock music, he set out early on with the act Big Dumb Face. Having toured with Trent Reznor, Marylin Manson and The Crystal Method on various projects, Borland now creates his own brand of dark Industrial under the name Black Light Burns. 2007 saw the release of their first album, entitled CRUEL MELODY. COVER YOUR HEART is their 2008 disc, featuring cover interpretations of some of Gothic rock and pop’s signature songs, along with some unreleased original material.
COVER YOUR HEART opens with Forkboy, a song originally produced by Al Jourgensen (Ministry) and Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys) for their side project Lard. Forkboy goes for the throat with a speedy, stripped punk melody with grainy guitars, gritty vocals, and thunderous drum rifts - everything you’d expect from an underground show. So Alive, a cover of the Love and Rockets' breakout single, follows with a more Industrial take on the Romantic Goth track. Continuing with the stripped guitars, the synth vocals tear up the cut. Hungry Like The Wolf is a deconstruction of the original 80’s track, rebuilt with tinny electrosynth and poppy vocals.
The first of Borland’s original tracks on the album is Drowning Together, Dying Alone - an electric/acoustic ambient cut that showcases Borland’s guitar talent combined with his creative electronic influences. The album closes with Giving in Again, a solid electronic track with a saccharine synth riff that lilts and bleeds beautifully.
Currently touring with Combichrist, Borland brings a brutal romantic side along with a darker brooding slant to his creative projects. A far cry from his early days with Limp Bizkit, Wes shows that he can transcend the typecasting of his former act and break new and innovative ground with the new band. Keep tabs on this, I can genuinely see something amazing coming out of Black Light Burns.
http://www.myspace.com/blacklightburns
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