Bedlam - Mounes Mors (The Dead Ones)

Reviewed by Kerry Hiles

 

BEDLAM is Floris du Toit and Leon Grobler on guitars, Danie Burger on bass and lead vocals (ten-outta-ten for singing bass-players!) and Rudi Greffrath on drums and perc.  I know NOTHING about death metal, so was very pleased that Danie had actually written an article on the track Mounes Mors in Issue 6 of The Bottom Line, detailing the inspiration for the song. But, let's start at the very beginning...

 

Track One - Styx: 

Okay, when I was visiting my mom in East London over the festive season, her hi-fi wouldn't even begin to play the cd.  I should've known. Gentle, edgy guitars start the track and then suddenly, death vocals scream into the air, making you run for cover.  What follows is absolute metal mayhem: screeching guitars, pounding drums and impressively frightening vocals.  I thought each person did their bit quite ably, but I was not bowled over by the recording quality on the entire EP - sounded a bit garage-band demo to me.  I think that with the right mixing, the effects attempted (both digitally and musically) would have worked much better.  It is a great pity that the bass was barely audible throughout, because I think that Danie has some great stuff to offer. Some nice mood changes through this track, although I found the playing a bit rushy in parts.

Track Two - Wicked Uxor:

Lovely - odd bars are littered throughout this track!  The song reminds me of something that the Beastie Boys might have done, only with vocals that require razor blades to sound this mean.  Danie tackles this punishing vocal genre quite well, never afraid to experiment with the sound or back down from a particularly tricky part.  Well done - looking forward to more.

Track Three - Mounes Mors (The Dead ones):

The track, inspired by the book "The Dead Time" (JG Ballard), starts with a well-played punchy bass intro, but as the song progresses, the tightness between the four musicians becomes a bit blurred - is this a result of the recording process?  Some interesting changes and a completely out-of-character musical interlude make for great listening, and this track allows the clearest presentation of the talents of the bassplayer and drummer.

Track Four - Closed Eyes:

My favourite track on the EP:  great guitar lines to kick the song off and cunning "feel" changes throughout, as well as the most mature-sounding vocals yet.  All four tracks on Mounes Mors are written and arranged by BEDLAM and good ideas abound throughout the EP, but I can't help thinking that the members of the band need to mature quite a bit as players before tackling another recording.  All a bit redundant, really, as the band no longer exists.  Such is the fickle world we gig in. 

Honestly, I would not watch this band live - just not my cup of tea. But I can appreciate that BEDLAM would fill a dark club with moshing heads and sweaty bodies.  The energy in the music is so evident and some of my friends who are familiar with this genre were quite impressed by the deathiness of the metal.  All, however, commented on the poor quality of the recording and most thought it came from a tired, worn tape that had been dumped to cd.  Let this be a lesson to all: you are only as good as your last recording! 

PS:  Danie did provide me with a cd that was better mixed and the vocals and bass were a lot clearer.  However, generally, my comments remain the same.  While I know this is a demo EP, just a note (to everyone!) : NO person who hears a cd and doesn't rave about it immediately is going to wait for the artist to try to sell the product over and over again.  The music-buying public allows you one shot at success - use it wisely!