Teetering with more of a warped Les Claypool style of effervescence than previous disc Guide to Good and Evil delivers, the new album from Lillehammer, Norway's Mormones further proves that a seemingly primitive drum and bass act do not have to be predictable to inspire. Disagree with that assessment -- then you can Dra Til Hælvette!

Ahh, just take me figuratively for a moment. Dra Til Hælvette doesn't so much mean for you to literally "go to hell" as it means to check your doubts at the door about what bass and drum can rhythmically do to you. Chapter two of the Mormones' catalogue will bump and prod you into trance-dance moves as unpredictable as an arthritic robot in need of a can of WD-40.

With lyrics documenting occurrences of giant cows falling from the open sky and landing on two feet before breaking into the "Snakeman's Dance," and the murder munchies being remedied by marinating microwave burritos in Louisiana hot sauce as "Spice Jar" instructs, the Mormones tinker more in the world of the eclectic elements of the rock n' roll experience than they did with their first release. Good thing there is not a lyric sheet in the CD jacket or I'm sure I'd find myself smirking even more than I am now.

Separately, "Space Is The Place" is an inaudibly demure example of an acid trip gone bad for four minutes and change, before bassist Morten Mormone launches into a brash two-minute bass solo assault that has me understanding that space is the place -- for hell. For a more traditional rocker like myself, I'm already programmed to discount the first four minutes of the song just to get back to hearing the solo with future spins.

On the other hand, the Mormones give a nod to the old school with their tribute to the Aerosmith classic "Sweet Emotion" as the backbone of their "A Far Out Trip through a Hard Rock Tunnel," a song that hits that same opening peak and valley bass drone found in the band from Boston's song. Proving this testimonial to be no anomaly in linking to the American boogie rock era of the '70s, "Pagan Baby" can also be likened to something the Motor City Madman, Ted Nugent, might have drummed up (another figurative reference, of course) just prior to his heyday.

So while Dra Til Hælvette is a more varied and creative album than its predecessor Guide to Good and Evil, it is an easier album to not only admire but to find fault. It is energetic and the song structures are more varied this time around, which will obviously mean different things to different people.

One thing is surely undeniable, and that is that acts like the Mormones are the lifeblood of what the indie rock scene is really about. There's a certain defiance to their madness and the duo don't seem to care. They tell us to Dra Til Hælvette! And while we're at it, to "get up and dance motherfuckers"!

[Visit the Mormones at www.mormones.net; order Dra Til Hælvette at www.trustmerecords.com/mormones/bio2.htm ]

Rating: B+

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