- Alec Empire and his seminal, but sadly defunct, outfit Atari Teenage Riot have always been polarizing figures. For many it’s simply the shouting and the noise that drove them away. For others the music was too dance to be indie. Empire’s punk-gothic attitude, eye shadow, and revolutionary politics never really fitted into club circles either. Yet for others—and I include myself in this group—there has always been something enthralling about the sheer will, energy and absolute conviction of Empire’s personality and music, despite its regular lapses into triteness and bad taste. Or indeed because of them.
But to judge Empire in terms of fashion, image or genre is a mistake. Here after all, is a genuine artist in the truest sense, a man whose immense discography covers successfully and otherwise every genre of modern music from hardcore, techno and drum n bass to goth, indie and noise without the slightest regard for limitations. In that sense, the inconsistent quality, variety and 100% commitment of Golden Foretaste of Heaven makes it very much a typical Alec Empire album. It will delight, appall and above all polarize listeners.
The album is generally more electro, indie-styled and less brutal than any ATR release. It also has a big retro feel that is largely well done, entertaining and earnest, if somewhat derivative. One of the basslines in ‘Ice…’, for example, is lifted from Suicide’s ‘Ghost Rider’. The guitars, synth riffs and percussion on the album have a big ‘80s feel that is both wholesomely dirty and good fun in a white knuckle way. The reverbed drum machine which opens ‘New Man’ or the driving rhythm of ‘…If You Live or Die’, for example, will be familiar sensations to old school fans of XTRMNTR or Barbed Wire Kisses.
This guitar sound is almost totally confined to the first half of the record— tracks like the bizarre ‘Robot L.O.V.E.’ and the slow narrative of ‘No/Why/New York’ on the second side have a more spacious electro feel. Unfortunately, it also loses a little of its momentum along the way, although the blistering metal riff of ‘On Fire’ on side two will satisfy ATR fans.
There are other inconsistencies. ‘Bug on My Windshield’ meanders, while the kooky and speedy track ‘Down Satan Down’ is a little brash and comic book-ish to work. The latter is classic red meat for Empire’s detractors, particularly those concerned with artistic cred. Yet since it arrives after an absolutely gorgeous track of beatless, dirgy guitar blues, you want to forgive him. ‘1000 Eyes’ is hardly for the dancefloor, but it's an example of how good a track can get when an electronic artist tackles song-based material.
GFoH is hardly the best album in the world or the most original, but quite clearly there is something to Empire’s intensity, sound design and songwriting capabilities that allows him to transcend the moment. It’s also an infectious record not just because of its peaks, but also its flaws. GFoH feels dirty, naked and honest compared to the clean, anodyne sound of modern dance music. “The slyer the fox/ the better the hunt” sings Empire in ‘1000 Eyes’ and as always he proves himself a canny fox indeed. For those who like it a little dirtier and louder, this is authentic stuff.
Tracklist01 New Man
02 ...If You Live Or Die
03 Ice (As If She Could Steal A Piece Of My Glamour)
04 000 Eyes
05 Down Satan Down (Dub)
06 On Fire (The Hellish Vortex Sessions)
07 Robot L.O.V.E.
08 Death Trap In 3D
09 Bug On My Windshield
10 No/Why/New York