Andrew’s Judgmental Album Reviews: Derision Cult – Charlatan’s Inc (2021)

Now we can consider this a special JAR of sorts. A smaller EP review request came through, and I’m always game for more underground bands. Derision Cult aren’t newbies, but let’s see how some Chicago Industrial metal tastes!

So this is apparently the 15^th release from the band, though a lot of it seems to be EPs, Demos and Remixes. Dave McAnally is the man behind the band, and has done all of the work in only 7 years since the earliest release I can find it 2014. As with many of the albums in 2021, this was recorded during 2020 during a time where media was a bigger player in everyone’s life since we were all mostly stuck inside.

Another interesting twist to the perspective here is Dave was an advertising executive for 20 years before using music as his outlet to get his perspective across. Given all that, if anyone was going to point out things about media and advertising; someone from the inside makes a ton of sense.

• Artist: Derision Cult
• Album: Charlatan’s Inc (2021)
• Label: South Street Dungeon

The Great Reset has a nice crunchy and quick riff that drives home the Fear Factory industrial sound. Once the vocals kick in my only complaint is that the mix has the vocals a little too low and washed into the instrumentation. However the way the singing is done reminds me of Chuck Billy or Dave Mustaine since it’s more of a gruff croon than classic singing. Lyrically we set the tone with discussion of lobbyists, corporate money and politics being controlled by said money and vice versa.  Call a Man God punches you in the teeth with machine gun double bass and attacking guitars, and sounds a lot like a Testament song from the Low era. While the mix issues with some of the vocals and the radio samples is still noticeable, the message is clear about basically creating your own problem. Call a man a liar, he’ll believe it, call a man God, etc… are all sayings we’ve heard since youth.

Amplify is heavy, guitar driven and continues the tone of being manipulated through many ways. Even bringing up the Facebook, Google search, spyware concept that we all know is present. So from manipulation through war or fear, or just knowing you really want a Ninja Turtles t-shirt, the government is aware of as much as they want to be. Worlds Collide picks up on the riff that Amplify ended on and stays in more of a southern sludge motif with the spoken political snippets thrown in. Manipulation remains the main theme, bringing up the derisive cesspool that many News outlets have become. Merely spouting an angle to rile up one side or the other, all as a manipulation tactic. The Chairshot’s own conspiracy theorist Chris Platt brings up the Hegelian Dialect often, which in its simplest form; is both sides of a subject being motivated for their cause, with only a compromise as the solution. So no matter which sides sees more victory, it was all set in motion by a person or in this use of imagery, the government. With the compromise usually coming from the manipulating party. So manipulation within manipulation, while being seen as giving something up for the “greater good”.

This is Control adds a Static X techno vibe to the beginning of the song. With the bass kicking in over the added elements, it grooves along like something from Orgy. If you treat this song more as a bridge to the next, like Amplify, then this sets the stage for the next act so to speak. Charlatans continues to techno-industrial instrumentation and hits the tribalism concepts well. As we’ve established control and manipulation through media is the driving theme of the album. As a listener you get the vibe these songs could be in the backdrop of Blade Runner or a more modern interpretation of 1984 Orwellian dystopia. They do have a line in the chorus about towing the party line, which makes the chorus quite catchy.

View from the Cross starts off with a very prominent guitar riff and underlying bassline that motivates the ear towards the verses. Lyrically its very relatable starting off about having a degree but being in a dead end job.  I-VI-MMXXI if you know Roman Numerals, you know what this song is about. For those who don’t 1-6-2021, the date of the Capitol attack. Which when it boils down to it, that was also driven based on manipulation and people thinking they were in the right or needed to do something to protect people. This is really just the beginning if we continue to let politicians or at the very least, politically motivated angles manipulate the media.

Even if you don’t agree with the full breadth of the lyrical themes, there’s definitely truth behind the concepts. As for an album, this feels more like the beginning calls of a movement more so than a concept album, which isn’t a bad thing, but it is alienating. The music in this EP is a very nice mix of crunchy attacking thrash at times, Industrial with a touch of Groove and electronic metal. So you won’t be disappointed with the music.

All in all, the two biggest flaws are the mix for the vocals and the lyrical themes. Granted the lyrical themes are more anti-capitalism than Conservative or Socialist, but we all know how most things get interpreted nowadays (which is kinda the point of the album, now ain’t it). Personally I also wasn’t a huge fan of two songs basically being bridges to the following songs, but that’s purely a matter of liking each song to stand on its own unless it’s a 45 second noodle or interlude.

Final Judgment: 7.25/10