Guide To Good And Evil

The Mormones

Trust Me Records, 2003

http://www.facebook.com/mormonesnorway

REVIEW BY: Chris Harlow

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/22/2004

At first pass, a band with the name of the Mormones will likely make you think they're either religious prophets or Ramones worshippers. A glance at the cover art of Guide To Good And Evil might solidify both thoughts. And while it might be hard to imagine mixing religion with music symbolic of the counterculture, the band will let you know they just don't care one way or another about whether you land in heaven or hell. At least, that's what the good track entitled the "Mormone Song 'bout Good 'n Evil" tells us.

Seeming to lyrically dwell more frequently on the allure of evil, Guide To Good And Evil does indeed root itself on the punk rock music formula that the Ramones fashioned back in the 70's -- catchy melodies with innocuous lyrics. Where the Mormones succeed in creating their own identity within such a crowded stable of four chord Ramones copycats lies strictly within the fact that they choose to forgo using the six-string guitar. Interesting, huh?my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Considering that such sonic force comes from just two people deserves explanation. You see, the Mormones, who hail from Lillehammer, Norway, play their brand of punk rock as a two person rhythm ensemble. That's right. Drum & bass with the occasional percussionary handclap thrown in for good measure.

What's really compelling about Morten Mormone's bass playing is that the guitar is tuned in such a fashion that it allows him to handle it just like a six string. When you realize that the opening licks on "Fast Roads Fast Riffs" is performed solely with a bass guitar, you'd be intuitively inclined to plop down the $12 - $15 it takes to buy this disc and find the repeat button on the CD player. Truly revolutionary stuff we've got here. It's a lot more interesting to hear music this way than to hear the White Stripes duo work their guitar the other way and back to a bass sound.

Another thing that a 100% rhythm rooted punk album benefits from is the obvious ability to create doomy notes (i.e. evil) that resemble traces of early Black Sabbath albums. "Bring on the Gold" or "Crazed Out Dogs on Silver Hogs" seemingly provide as good a fit for Sabbath's drummer, Bill Ward to pound the skins as it does for Simen Mormone.

So, when I think about this album being as much about evil as it is about good I find it pretty neat how the whole concept surrounding the Mormones and their guide to good and evil comes together.

Traditional punkers will find comfort with the tempos that tracks like "That's It I'm Calling The Mothership,""Backrat" and "GTO Society" provide. These songs lack the general sludginess that some of the doomier tracks I've noted offer.

Considering that two people performing just two instruments can create such a varied sounding album, Guide To Good And Evil is definitely worth checking out.

To view the Mormones official Web site, click http://www.mormones.net. For more information and to order Guide to Good and Evil , click http://www.trustmerecords.com/shop.htm

Rating: A

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© 2004 Chris Harlow and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Trust Me Records, and is used for informational purposes only.