3teeth

Album review

Rising from the wreckage wrought by the '90s industrial boom that was popularized in the mainstream by Nine Inch Nails, 3Teeth resurrect that mecha-sexual, beat-driven discord on their polished, self-produced, and self-titled debut 3Teeth (Artoffact Records). Conceptually draped over the subversive Operation Mindfuck movement, the album is a linear journey through a post-apocalyptic landscape lorded over by imposing vocalist Alexis Mincolla, who spouts distorted declarations and intense screams over atmospheric and jagged -- but danceable! -- instrumentation from Xavier Swafford, Andrew Means, and Chase Brawner. In addition to NIN, the classic influences of Wax Trax, Ministry, and Skinny Puppy are all present, making this release both prescient in its nihilistic vision and nostalgic in its sound and aesthetic, like a goth club buried in The Matrix. At its catchiest and sexiest, 3Teeth sound like Pretty Hate Machine-era NIN ("Unveiled" and "Final Product") at their most brutal and feral, and Broken ("Pearls 2 Swine," "X-Day," and "Dust"). Hints of early-era Marilyn Manson, Tool, and Depeche Mode, peak-era KMFDM and Gravity Kills, and contemporary goth-ravers God Module can also be heard within the dissonance. These comparisons are by no means a dismissal; rather, they have absorbed the best parts of their forebears and distilled them into a singular and consistent vision. Hypnotic, uncomfortable, discordant, ominous, threatening, carnal, visceral: 3Teeth's debut collection combines transgressive social commentary, thought-provoking lyrics, a calculated aesthetic, and great sonic production for fans who remember (and miss) Trent Reznor's darker days.

© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo