U.S.S.A. is the new band formed by Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison and Ministry bassist Paul Barker, along with singer/guitarist/keyboard player Gary Call and drummer Johnny Rabb. The Spoils is their debut CD, 11 songs and 50 minutes of bouncy hard rock, pop hooks, prog experimentation, and grandiose dark wave. While fans of both Jesus Lizard & Mininstry's brand of alternative/industrial rock will surely love the sounds contained on The Spoils, there's just enough variety here to appeal to many types of rock fans. Check out the chugging guitar riffs of "Cruel Beauty", the Porcupine Tree flavored "Middletown", the punk intensity of "Forget Yourself", and the Nine Inch Nails influenced psychedelic synth rock of "Cab Ride" and "Summer Endless Summer" for examples of the different styles these guys conjure up. One of the CD's most interesting songs is the 6-minute chiller "Peculiar Thing", a nightmarish avant-garde pop song complete with rippling keyboards, jagged guitar shards, bombastic fuzz tones bass, and droning vocals, which segues into the equally dark and foreboding "Sugarwater". The latter has some great vocals from Call and lots of crunchy guitar riffs and massive feedback. All in all a fun release that sets the stage for what could be alt-rocks next supergroup.
Track Listing
1) Dead Voices
2) Autumn Flowers
3) Blue Light
4) Cruel Beauty
5) Middletown
6) Summer Endless Summer
7) Forget Yourself
8) Cab Ride
9) Peculiar Thing
10) Sugarwater
11) Wastland
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