3 out of 5

Label: Metropolis

Producer: Rudy Ratzinger

So I’m putting my faith in Rudy to wow me later on, because working chronologically, Embryodead was pretty amazing, Born Again was pretty typical, and Eevil Young Flesh is half and half.  The production solidity and surprises are still there, subtle drum work and interesting keys floating in and out on several tracks, but a lot of the intensity of ‘Embryo’ is gone, the middle of the album leaning more toward the typical dank, dreary and dancey industrial approach as opposed to the possessed evil Ratzinger fluzzed over all of Embryo.  When the shift in mood works in concert with his layered production sensibilities and warped lyrics – opener ‘Wulf’ isn’t anywhere near the aggression of the majority of Embryodead tracks and yet it maintains its edge thanks to a building sense of doom, a quirky pace, and interesting lyrics – but ‘I Want You,’ and ‘Wasted Dreams’ feel more like exercises in going-through-the-motions of making dark music.  And the last few tracks slip into long and repetitive instrumental sections that hint at bigger things which never arrive.

The album is at least consistent – all of these tracks feel like they belong together – and repeated listens do provide rewards in-between the initial impact of each track.  With a million albums to his name, I can only assume that Rudy likes to experiment.  Here’s hoping that ‘Eevil’ is an experiment in mood.  If later albums leverage the stylistic creativity shown here with the power of Embryodead, I’ll be sold.