Symbol Of Triumph

Goddess Of Desire

Metal Blade Records, 1999

http://www.goddess-of-desire.info

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 08/07/1999

One of the things that the heavy metal genre allows is for the promotion (and sometimes abuse) of beliefs that you normally wouldn't hear in other forms of music. I highly doubt you'd hear Ferrante & Teicher espousing the glory of Satan in their piano music.

Yet metal seems to bring out every dingbat who wants to raise a beef with (insert your religion here) and praise the devil and violence. Some bands, like Slayer, have raised the music to an artform - even if I don't agree with the message, I can't help but appreciate the musical brilliance. Other bands, like Venom, take the images whether they believe in them or not, and base a career around them. (I've heard various stories regarding whether certain bands were truly Satanic or not.)my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

And then there's Goddess Of Desire. This group from the Netherlands tries to live up to the demands of the genre, but their efforts on their latest album, Symbol Of Triumph, are laughable. (If you think the music's a hoot, you should read the description of their live show in their bio - which I can't find at the moment. Guess someone had to take the place of G.G. Allin.) For the most part, these guys and two gals are a poor man's Gwar - and I thought Gwar did for metal what the Jonestown kool-aid did for kid's drinks.

Let me see if I have got their schtick down, just from the album art. The four guys in the band - cripes, looking at their Web site, they look like Ratt meeting Judas Priest in a dark alley - pound away on their instruments, while three scantily-clad women prance around in leather bikinis with metal studs for the T&A factor. (Granted, this held my attention for a few seconds.) Green Jelly did this before, but they were at least intentionally funny.

As for the music - c'mon, I've heard scarier things in conversations at flea markets. Once in a rare while, Symbol Of Triumph does yield a semi-decent song, like "Ride". But for the most part, these guys invoke demons like they were ordering from a Burger King menu, and they're about as convincing. Tracks like "Blasphemic Beasts Convoked," "Whimps And Bastards" and "Worship Me" are about as scary as a B-movie.

As for the Satanic theme, I personally don't care who or what Goddess Of Desire worship, they're just not convincing. (They need to listen to a group like Enthroned, who impressed me but also scared the shit out of me.) If you need a cheap laugh, or you just need to see grown men prancing around in fur and Max Factor, then Symbol Of Triumph is your disc. If you're looking for the true darker side of metal, better keep on lookin'.

A short review, I know - but there's only so many ways one can say "this sucks" without getting repetitive.

Rating: D-

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


Comments

 








© 1999 Christopher Thelen 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 Metal Blade Records, and is used for informational purposes only.