2000 | 07 The Workhouse Movement, The Gathering, Pain, Pearl Jam, Ween

THE WORKHORSE MOVEMENT - Sons of the Pioneers (Roadrunner Records)
Well, the five guys drew their name from the Tom Wolfe novel "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test". And rumours say, that they quite followed the example stated therein, to widen consciousness and thoughts throwing acid. And surely they followed the book's motto 'Workhorse and Intercourse', meaning to give 100 % at work and *err* pleasure. In their music they mix Hard Rock with Hip-Hop, 60ies Rock, Soul and Jazz. This they blend with spicey Motown tunes and add a dash of explosive, psychedelic guitars. The result is a killer and God, I would really like to know their drugs... (ks)

THE GATHERING - if_then_else (Century Media Records)
Now The Gathering have entered a new territory: lyricwise it is criticism towards a type of logic that not only controls a machine but also the thinking patterns of modern civilization. And musicwise it is an astonishing spectrum between the well-known etheral-dramatic elements and new atmospheric, electro-influenced tunes to some driving, metallic-rock songs. It's emotion reveling in a rhythmic dreamland. And a band that dares to be that inventive should be rewarded... (ks)

PAIN - Rebirth (Stockholm Records)
With a wild mixture of intense Metal and hard Techno Pain, the new project of notorious Peter Tägtgren landed on our turntables. Tägtgren, well known for his eagerness to experiment, adresses with "Rebirth" his metal-followers and hammers them simple, danceable rhythms with repeating metal-guitars on the head. It is almost as if Rammstein, MDFMK and Covenant were trapped in a bunker with the prospect of not getting out until they delivered an album. So anybody who feels like trying out the new blend of "raw Power metal goes electric Groove" is absolutely perfect here. Buy! Groove! Bang! (ks)

PEARL JAM - Binaural (Epic Records)
Ten years after their debut time must have stood still for Pearl Jam. Seemingly Eddie Vedder and his mates have spent this period in a bubble, unaffected by influences and styles of the years passing by. Probabely only such abstinence and nonconformity of the record business' rules have made such a timeless and furious album like "Binaural" possible. Whoever wanted to bury Pearl Jam under the cliché of Grunge has to learn better now! No retro-hullabaloo but energetic, powerful Rock'n'Roll at its best. (wh)

WEEN - White Pepper (Mushroom Records)
Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman, better known as brothers Dean & Gene Ween, stroll on their new record through "strawberry-fields". Their retro-melodies hop through decades and sometimes stop by in the Beatles-era, Bryan Ferry or the Flaming Lips - yet they take pleasure in their effortless references. Once in a while rude moments bring you back from shady trips spent in a 'lazy sunday afternoon'-atmosphere. All in all it's like a Dim-Sum restaurant: you get a little bit of everything and that is enough to stay hungry for another Ween-album. (wh)