Teknowhore

by Vincent JeffriesOne good thing that can be said about Long Island's Bile is that they aren't afraid to experiment with their extreme industrial metal sound. During the mid-'90s, there were plenty of bands like Bile who were trying to make a bold new statement by boosting soundscapes similar to Nine Inch Nails' more commercial industrial rock. With jagged, beefed-up guitars and testosterone-fueled lyrics and samples, these bands simply wanted to add muscle to Trent Reznor's already established aesthetic. Such a simple and derivative formula does not generally make for great art. Fortunately, Bile recognized this fact, and although they were tinkering with what had become a relatively common sound, they did so with style and thoughtfulness. On Teknowhore, the band's second and perhaps finest release, Bile mess with structure and form nicely -- especially on tracks like "No One I Call Friend" -- trying to actually do something fresh within a genre overridden with unfocused emotionalism and sonic didacticism. Such good things can't always be said for bandleader Krztoff's lyrics, although he should get high marks for the ambitious "You Can't Love This" and "Green Day." While far from perfect, Teknowhore is a solid effort that is strongly recommended to anyone interested in the fringes of '90s hard music.