The Amatory Murder: Exploiting Our Dreams review

If you are not yet familiar with an up and coming band, that was founded in 2011 at King Killer studios in Brooklyn New York, by charismatic frontman Christian (Xian) Peppas called The Amatory Murder, it is high time you acquaint yourself with one of the most promising bands on the alternative hard rock music scene. Their music and lyrical content deals with the dark side of the human experience, isolation, rejection and disenchantment and draws influence from an eclectic list of artists such as Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Type O Negative, New Order, Devo, Joy Division, Rammstein, Filter, Faith No More, Marilyn Manson, The Birthday Massacre, Helmet, The Cure and Deftones to name a few. The band plans on taking the world stage by storm and have a clear and concise vision of what they want the future to hold for them. Their newest effort, Exploiting Our Dreams, is a testament to that vision and picks up right where their first full length, A Different Frequency, and the remix EP Lonely Boy left off. Exploiting Our Dreams is a career defining landmark for the revolutionary sonic explorers that is brilliantly conceived and executed. It is a sonic manifestation that is brimming with intoxicating rhythms that defy convention and is not for the faint of heart. The album starts strong with “A Haunting.” It is an all out rocker that features some hauntingly beautiful synths and raw emotive vocals akin to Trent Reznor, that just begs for repeat plays and is easy to see why it was chosen as lead single and video. At the same time the epic build, taught rhythms and infectious synths of “Need” are very similar to The Birthday Massacre. Their epic emo/goth take on the Police classic “King Of Pain” is equal parts Depeche Mode and Joy Division, that really showcases the dynamic range of Christian Peppas and is one for the ages while “Eleanor” relies heavily on the sound of 80’s techno balanced with elements of more modern hard rock bands like Filter, Deftones and Helmet. “Perverted Views” fuses the more off the wall elements of The Cure and Devo with the metallic edge of Marilyn Manson, KMFDM and Rammstein into something unlike anything else out there. The album closes with five other worldly remixes that are completely different from the originals and will make fans of club/dance music fall in love. They take you to a rave without ever leaving your house. So much so, that if you close your eyes, you can almost see the neon and florescent lighting, smell the sweat and taste the ecstasy-laced water. Here’s the bottom line- If Exploiting Our Dreams has any flaw, it’s that it could have benefited from some more heavy guitars. Otherwise, it is near perfection. Rating: 8.5 out of 10 -Eric Hunker