LEYLA FORD DECLARES TREASON ON DOCTOR MIDNIGHT AND THE MERCY CULT’S I DECLARE: TREASON

After I heard the news about Turbonegro I got a little curious about what former vocalist Hank von Helvete was up to with his new band. The name was weird enough to get my attention and it was relatively easy to track down, so I soon had Doctor Midnight and The Mercy Cult’s first release, I Declare: Treason in my possession.

Well. It’s pretty weird.  It starts out with an ominous, spoken word intro but when you listen to the actual words it’s rather uplifting in it’s own cult-ish way.

I am here to declare everlasting love, it shall be light.
I am God, I believe in you.
You are the light, you are what’s coming next.
You are the past and the future.
You’re the beloved one…

Nice stuff, right? If I didn’t know better, I’d totally join this Doctor fellow. He sounds legit.

The music is kind of hard to define. It’s like industrial metal punk as sung by a robot wearing giant JNCO pants. It’s all over the place. Turbonegro meets My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult in 1996 might be a better aural image. It has its draw; songs like “(Don’t) Waste It” and“OK (We’re Just About To Die)” have a kind of drunken allure to them. But they’re all weighed down by the plodding beat that is present in every single song. I got hopeful with the intro to “Misconception,” which sounded like good speed metal but the blast beats really ruin it. It picks up again during the chorus but the jerkiness of the drums pisses me off. It so easily could’ve been a good, hard album with the kookiness Hank adds but it just sort of falls short. I think it might be worth seeing and hearing live, though.

The band itself is kind of a supergroup of sorts with Anders Odden (Satyricon, Celtic Frost and like nine more), Audun Stengel (Apoptygma Berzerk, The Kovenant), David Husvik (Extol), and best of all, TIM SKOLD FROM SHOTGUN MESSIAH. Yeah, I got excited. I fucking love Shotgun Messiah. But still, Doctor Midnight gives me nothing that equals “Heartbreak Boulevarde.”

(one and a half outta five horns)

-LF