From Nice, France comes SCHULTZ, an industrial act consisting of Franz Schultz, GUITARFoX, and Sandy Dynamite. SCHULTZ tackles hard-hitting electronic music with amusingly forward declarations, searing guitar tracks, and commanding fulfillment.
Shot Of Pain starts off with scattered layers of static placed over hypnotic drumming. The intro feels ritualistic. It’s a preparation for the strident, grating noises that are to follow. This album is tracks upon tracks of impudently bold statements over marching, danceable beats. The second track, “I Hate You,” is where the pace of the album really begins to pick up. The beat reads like a throbbing heart. It’s demanding, threatening, enticing. “My Wish” takes over after this track finishes up. The pulsating electronic beat and the abrasiveness of the guitar give off a menacing quality. “Fake World” has an electricity to it that stomps up and down atop the shouted choruses and thickly distorted, harrowing guitar parts. From there, “House of Misery” invites you into an atmosphere of light, airy stimulation. It feels, dare I say, holy.
The choral-esque voices and the inclusion of ethereal synths almost disrupt the darkness the album has been sheathed in. It suspends you in a crystalline brightness and then clamps down with harsh, lurching movements then followed by a strained greeting. “I’m Your God” has a beat that strobes like a flickering light. The guitar work on this track is minimal, but emotive, and works well beneath Schultz’s authoritative statements. The title track is found at the very end of the album. I think it perfectly brings everything to a close. “Shot Of Pain” is a bit more riff-heavy than the previous tracks, and maintains that high energy persuasion found throughout Shot Of Pain.
The flickering between English and French, the revolving movements, and the smatterings of minimalistic lyrics envelop the listener in beats that beg to be moved along to. SCHULTZ has crafted an album that enjoins the listener to experience jarring sounds and dizzying atmospheres. Shot Of Pain is an invitation to try and navigate through all of these swirling realms of light-headedness.
Recommendation: This album wants to clobber you to the ground. Let it.
Rating: 4/5
The Metal Wanderlust 