Having already brought us to our knees with Pity Girl, Mary Magdalan are back with a new double album which – unbelievable as it sounds – leaves their previous effort firmly in the shade. This time we receive a double dose of “Junkie Love” with ‘R.I.P’, two discs of twisted, addictive tracks which may well have been written in the confines of a padded cell.
Those unfamiliar with Mary Magdalan have thus far been seriously missing out. The Los Angeles based three-piece are a prime example of a band taking matters into their own hands, having turned a record deal down flat in order to have complete control. This is a good thing in more ways than one, given that – in this day and age – many companies may well have hesitated to release ‘R.I.P’ and its amazing yet firmly dark content.
From the disturbing sounds of ’5NIAM3RT54L’ to closing track ‘Heaven’, the album is a journey through a broken mind, a vicious wall of sound that is both amazing to hear but almost frightening to take in. Of course, that isn’t to say that the listener is unable to rock out. Quite the opposite in fact. Tracks such as ‘Mind@War’, ‘I Feel Beautiful’ and ‘System Of Freaks’ demand to be played at full volume (guaranteed to infuriate angry neighbors around the world), such is the raw energy that clearly drives ‘R.I.P’.
Unique, independent and unrestrained, this is Mary Magdalan at their angst-ridden, explicit, brilliant best.
4.5/5
Sarah Barker
Band site: http://www.myspace.com/marymagdalan