Smog Veil is stepping out of its own self-set parameters for this one! The New Creatures hail from the Dayton, Ohio area. Dayton is only a hop and a skip from where I live near Cincinnati, Ohio. My local cable provider gives me BOTH Cincinnati news and channels schemes, as well as those for Dayton. Dayton is an exceptional place.
It’s odd to the tenth power. I can’t really go into it all in full-length, but just this past week here, United States Marines have held their second of three exercises training them for urban combat. These exercises are held in close proximity to populations in abandoned buildings like old schools, old factories, and such, but while the newscasters will film the happenings from afar, there’s normal everyday traffic whizzing by on the roads and train tracks like nothing’s happening. There seems to be a whole feeling of pride on the newscaster’s faces when they talk about the Marines. I’m not sure that the marines choosing Dayton to do a thing like this is a compliment. I figure that in order to train for urban combat in a ‘third world’ country like Iraq (or whatever the kids are calling it these days) you have to find a like battleground. The United States Marines found one in Dayton!!!! You see? All these exercises left me looking at Dayton as an oil-bearing mid-east country. Dayton-Arabia!!! Well, it’s shit like this which molds people and their books and their poems and, believe it or not, their bands!!! The New Creatures are products of Dayton, Ohio and it shows. This CD is teeming with mid-western desperation. Early 80’s killed by death hardcore punk style! Balls to the walls!!!! The recording tech might have promised them Marshall Stacks to record with but it’s working with what you got that gives bands like The New Creatures an edge. Truly neoteric!!! The New Creatures remind me a lot of Toxic Reasons, but are closer to another band that I hold dear to my heart, Unnatural Axe! Media Brainwash has that same sort of dark and ominous dischordian angst that The Axe have on "They Saved Hitler’s Brain". Horror-punk!!! In fact, Media Brainwash sorta plays like a second LP by Toxic Reasons more so than Toxic Reasons’ second LP or a long lost Unnatural Axe release!!! There are a couple really intense winner tracks that I have to point out. One is the sing-a-long "Social Structures", the next is the title track "Media Brainwash", and last but not least is "Tension". Tight tracks!!! Tight indeed! I’m glad I got this CD. It’s good; worth the price I would say, for CDs nowadays.... In all my adventures (and believe me you, I have had some adventures in Dayton!) I never even heard of The New Creatures. This CD was eye opening and a treat to hear. I’m awaiting more. FEED ME.