S.E.T.I., the new album from the boys once introduced to me as "Marilyn Manson if they didn't suck," has gotten some very grim press. Once heralded as groundbreaking pioneers of the Black Metal underground, one magazine has called their latest the worst album of the month while others have been nearly as scathing. Unlike the better-received Animatronic (1999) - the first album for these Norwegian natives to drop the corpse paint scene in favor of the Antichrist Superstar one - most of the screechy shrieks are gone, replaced by Lex Icon's mostly deep croons. The electronic aspect has been upped considerably and the whole album has taken on even more of a theatrical, almost Circus of the Profoundly Disturbed vibe than before.

I will admit that it doesn't always work. Some tracks, such as opener "Cybertrash" and later cut "Hollow Earth" verge on overblown filler, replete with canned "industrial metal" guitars and requisite audio clips from some movie to boot. Fans of the legendary Hellhammer, or Von Blomberg (Mayhem, Arcturus), or whatever he's calling himself these days, will also be disappointed to discover that not only are his drums far more subdued on S.E.T.I. but, as often than not, are replaced by an electronic counterpart.

Still, though, I get the impression that a lot of reviewers took one listen to "Cybertrash" and wrote off the rest of the album en masse because there really is some good stuff on here. "Star by Star", for example shines with infectious keyboard work and a whole lot of groove. It's been by far one of the most overplayed songs in my rotation of late.

Other enjoyable tracks include the slower, more straightforward "Stillborn Universe" as well as the over-the-top kitschy but catchy "Planet of the Apes."

"Keepers of the Garden", which appears late in the album, is an absolutely killer song! I'm serious! Once again the keyboards are pulling me in, Psy Coma and Angel's guitars chunk, Lex Icon's bass rattles in my head and his gritty, processed vocals are totally working here. There's even some female vocal accompaniment for variety. It's really an excellent song that would be a highlight even if it were on an album of solely top-shelf material.

But, it's not. I'm not trying to convince you otherwise. The band's heavy-handed usage of tried-and-true Industrial metal conventions, as well as a bad habit of putting style before substance, weighs too negatively on a good portion of the work. Instead of nails and support beams, this circus is held together with fishnet stockings and empty bottles of Manic Panic. While that might keep it up for a while, in the long run, it's just going to collapse.

This isn't to say The Kovenant needs to ax their theatrics for them to improve, they just need to realize that, like the immortal Willy Shakes has told us time and again, "the play's the thing." Go ahead and keep the makeup and hair-gel you got from Hot Topic, just remember what got you the money that got you there.

Search Tour Database by: Artist City Venue

The Kovenant

S.E.T.I.

Released: April 29, 2003
Origination Year: 2003
Time: N/A
Tracks: 12
Produced by: Dan Diamond
Style: Studio
Format: CD
Enhancement:Enhanced CD
Label: Nuclear Blast Records
Website:
www.gentechranch.tk

Cybertrash
Planet of the Apes
Star by Star
Via Negativa
Stillborn Universe
Acid Theatre
A Perfect End
Neon
Keepers of the Garden
Pantomime
Hollow Earth
Industrial Twilight
The Memory Remains *
Subtopia *