This Is My Battlefield

Oh, good: a stage name that refers specifically to Nazi weaponry, a picture of a dead woman with blood leaking out of her mouth and nose, a photo of the bare-chested singer sporting black latex gloves and standing behind the word "filth," pictures of tanks and U boats — and on the back, a note from singer Andy LaPlegua that says "Don't be blind; this is NOT a pro-faschist [sic] project." (It's kind of a strange note, since you'd have to be blind to miss what most reasonable observers will interpret as an awful lot of pro-fascist imagery.) So LaPlegua's message is pretty clear: The trappings and symbolism of fascism are fun and exciting, but not to be taken seriously. Not necessarily the lesson one would have taken from the events of the 20th century, but hey, this is only rock & roll, right? The music itself is skillful but not especially noteworthy; LaPlegua has earned his chops the honest way as a member of the popular EBM band Icon of Coil, and there's no questioning his skill as a programmer and arranger. "When Death Embrace [sic] Me" (his skill as an English speaker is a bit more questionable) is an interesting six-eight composition, and on "Pure Tension" he incorporates violins in a surprising and impressively musical way. We could have done without the tasteless sounds of women sobbing in pain on "Drukne i Taarer," or the faux-romantic piano and incoherently despairing lyrics on "Sick Is the One Who Adores Me," but for the most part this is a perfectly acceptable genre exercise. And remember, it's not pro-fascist.