welcome back to the Skaject folks! our album this week is Maximum Perversion, the 1997 album from Mephiskapheles!
it took me a while to land on how i feel about this record, and i think ultimately the thing that complicated it is that i initially bounced off of vocalist Andre Worrell’s style, especially as it contrasts with the increasingly cleaner sounds of this record.
Mephiskapheles carries a lot of their loungey, jazzier influences over from previous releases here. Attack of the Geniuses, for example, is extremely smooth in many places, which makes the verses with Worrell’s vocals a tad off – i largely think they work here, but it can be an odd fit. the first minute of Satan on the Beach that is repeated in later sections of the song, for example, are really clean performances that are some of the best parts of the album, but the verses feel a bit less successfully executed.
that being said though, i think it largely works across the record, and i just needed a sec to acclimate. Attack of the Geniuses is immediately followed up by Break Your Ankle Punk, which is a bit heavier, rougher, and where Worrell’s vocal delivery feels right at home. I also feel like Demon Weed lands the balance almost perfectly. Sate might be my favorite track on the record – really like how the whole band feels like its firing on all cylinders here.
on the whole, a very excellent record that i look forward to returning to in the future, and one that im glad i took a bit of extra time to dig into.
faves – Attack of the Geniuses, Break Your Ankle Punk, Sate, Snack Pack
dislikes –
Maximum Perversion – 7/10
next on the list is Evildoers Beware!, from Mustard Plug!
previous: Crab Rangoon | next: Evildoers Beware!
previous Mephiskapheles release: God Bless Satan | next: Might-ay White-ay