Angel Seed XXIII

Sounding like an unenthused reaction to industrial-metal's late ‘90s decline, Skrew's final Metal Blade release Angel Seed XXIII is mired in new-metal redundancy. Skrew's previous contributions to their hybrid genre weren't enough to preserve the group's secondary rank within the slavishly fashionable hard-music world. Abandoning their regimented beats and extra-curricular sampling in favor of a more punishing guitar aesthetic, the Adam Grossman-led Skrew vainly attempt to retain their aggro relevancy on this 1997 release. Grossman can't be accused of blatant cynicism regarding his band's shift in direction, as big metallic guitars had been prominently featured on Skrew's previous releases. But time was rapidly passing Skrew by and no amount of modern rock niceties could prevent the band's sonic obsolescence. Only the pop-influenced (Nine Inch Nails, Filter,) image-driven (Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson) or earlier, more credible (several from Wax Trax) artists had the attitude and ability to survive the inevitable industrial-metal fadeout. The genre's impending doom might have left Skrew feeling confused and apathetic, which could explain the sub-par sounds of Angel Seed XXIII. With the sad exception of "Kosmo's Seed," — a not-so-subtle reprise of Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People" — there are no memorable standouts, and the disc's repetitive dirge ultimately goes nowhere.