CoC : Ultraviolence - Psychodrama : Review

Ultraviolence - _Psychodrama_
(Earache, 1995)
by: Gino Filicetti (8 out of 10)

Whoever said that heavy music was solely in the realm of heavy metal? Proud to prove you wrong is Johnny Violent with his newest and greatest album to date: _Psychodrama_. Since 1992, Ultraviolence has been in existence, hailing from Johnny's bedroom studio. This UK one-piece musical anomaly has managed to turn quite a few heads, both 'metalheads' and 'technoheads.' With his latest release, Johnny has shown that hardcore techno need not be only unintelligible noise with an outrageous BPM rating. This album is not only a masterpiece of synthetic and sampled sound, but also a 'techno-opera,' the first of its kind, and probably not the last. For this record, Violent recruited an acting staff of over 15 individuals, for all of the various singing, speaking, and screaming parts. The story centers around Jessica, an abused child who turned to prostitution and 'rock and roll' for attention, and Hitman, who was raised as a killer from birth. The meeting of these two people sparks an undying love between them that manages to fulfill the emptiness of their lives. They then commit suicide together and are forced to face up to God and be sent to Hell. In the end, they persevere and God realizes that they can not be blamed for the suicide they committed, so he releases them into Paradise. Although I am personally not a fan of very much techno, I do appreciate the experimental, and this release is definitely that and much more. I'd recommend this album to anyone who is willing to set aside their love of guitars and drums, and listen to what one man, one imagination, and one computer can do.

(article published 17/1/1996)