MAXIMUM MONEY MONSTER

Maximum Money Monster is actually reissue of the band's debut LP Maximum Love & Fuck with four additional tracks. Band leader KK Null describes Zeni Geva as progressive hardcore and has cited King Crimson, Art Bears and such as some of his favourite bands and influences. And you know what, ZG does have more than little of that angular and dissonant avant-prog edge, although as a whole they're closer to early Swans or Godflesh kind of sound and feel. Especially in this early stuff of theirs.

KK Null plays the guitar and sings, and Tabata (Boredoms, Acid Mothers Temple and many other Japanese cult bands) plays the other guitar. I assume Null takes care of the low-end riffs and Tabata does his psychedelic things on top. Original Maximum Love & Fuck tracks have Ikuo Taketani on drums and Tatsuya Yoshida (Koenjihyakkei, Ruins, etc...) on the added ones. Taketani's style is simpler and more muscular, while Yoshida's is lively and energetic. Both suit their respective tracks well and bring variation to the whole. Yoshida also sings backing vocals on two songs. As you noticed, there's no bass player, but that's not needed, as Null's guitar (as I presume) takes care of the low frequencies well enough. I think it also gives their music more air to breathe.

Much of the music is based on repetitive, more or less dissonant riffs. Opening track "Slam King" repeats the same thing with ever so slight variations for 16 minutes and the hypnosis carries well all through it. You can only admire the band's restraint and discipline. The rest are shorter and less simple, but nothing super-technical, although there are odd time signatures and tempo changes here and there. Null's vocals are commanding and lyrics seem to repeat a few simple phrases mostly, some in Japanese, some in English. No idea what he's singing about, but all considered, I guess it's not about kittens and stuff. Last track "On Suicide" takes it's lyrics from Bertolt Brecht and it's (slightly) lighter and more experimental track. With some imagination, you can picture 80s King Crimson doing something similar. As a whole the album is more varied than it may seem at first and a very rewarding listen if noisy avant-rock is your thing.

Three bonus live tracks on Cold Spring reissue CD are ok but nothing special. Cherry tree branches on the cover first look like barbed wire or skeleton parts. Which suits the contents perfectly.

If this was noiserockarchives, the album would be very close to five stars, but since this is progarchives, I can't give it more than three well-deserved ones. Essential for fans of early Swans, Godflesh, Melvins, Jesus Lizard and such.