Like some sort of monstrous but fascinating mutant life-form (perhaps the result of an underground genetics lab experiment gone south) Lo Flux Tube for some listeners will be a horrid monstrosity – fit only for shunning (or burning), while others will find themselves inescapably sucked in, unable to turn away from such an extraordinary specimen. Godflesh-ian, Voivod-like elements collide in a high-power particle accelerator to help create the controlled chaos released by OLD on this masterpiece.
The otherworldly sounds bursting from this record are mainly the result of James Plotkin's no-holds-barred approach to guitar experimentation and sound processing rather than synthesizers. This is truly original, inventive guitar work. Whether it's cascading washes of rich, sonorous harmonics and droning feedback, delay-looped oddball sounds, or the seemingly omnipresent high register lead parts the choices Plotkin makes both in the writing and in sound manipulation are always right on the money. Nothing sounds out of place. Despite using unorthodox means to create unlikely melodies, he manages to make this soundtrack to a PCP and acid trip gone awry sound very natural and unforced. Noisy, dissonant, paranoia-inducing build-ups give way to flowing waves of machine sounds and soaring guitar screams and squeals that thrust you into hyper-space just as the whole works threaten to explode on the launch pad. Jason Everman's performance, and his thick, distorted bass sound maintain a prominent spot in the mix; driving Plotkin's freakishly twisted
guitar exploitations ever forward. Glancing at the credits, one almost expects to see Blacky from Voivod acknowledged for attacking the bass here on a few days off after the Nothingface tour rather than Everman, a guy who played in decidedly tamer, more traditional, "normal" bands like Nirvana, and Mindfunk. As with every other element of this music, the bass seems to be "aware of" and complementing everything around it perfectly; there can be no other way to turn so much densely layered madness into cohesive songs that have a definite flow and structure to them.
In the hands of lesser musical architects it could all easily deteriorate into a headache inducing din that goes nowhere. Such is the fine line between deliberate genius and insane ramblings upon which OLD tread. Fortunately, these guys know exactly what they are doing and are in complete control of the spaceship at all times.
Along with the bass, some well programmed synthetic drums help keep everything together and moving along without ever getting in the way, or restricting the other instruments. You get the impression that the drum patterns were created to compliment the music rather than to provide the foundation that everything else gets built upon later, which seems to be the case with some drum machine based music. The beats are not monotonous and rigid like what Godflesh were doing around this same time, but are of a more natural sounding free-form style with much more variation. Those with an aversion to machine-aided rhythms might just be able to put aside their prejudices here.
Plotkin & co.'s extremely liberal, but educated use of effect processors on pretty much every ingredient in the mix add new dimensions of atmosphere to and are an integral part of the music / sound...not simply an afterthought used to "spice things up a bit." In his aptly named Atomsmasher project, Plotkin built the songs up entirely by cutting, pasting, and heavily processing recorded segments of music performed by himself and drummer Dave Witte. I imagine some degree of that technique may have been employed on Lo Flux Tube as well.
So what sort of vocal performance do we find on an album such as this you ask? Harsh, vicious, quasi Black Metal screaming courtesy of longtime Plotkin cohort Alan Dubin fits the bill nicely. You can almost feel the wind and spittle hitting your face when Dubin cuts loose with his vitriolic ravings. Whatever he may lack in range and diversity, Dubin more than makes up for with his sincere, fiery delivery. You get the feeling that he is very serious about whatever the hell it is he's railing at. I don't focus in on the singing enough to remember (or discern) more than a handful of words, but a quick check of the lyric sheet tells me that they are good; fairly minimal, which I like, and not too obvious or plain. They paint a picture without directing your thoughts too severely. The words are not shouted or barked in a hardcore punk manner or with a Death Metal grunt. The vocals are raspy but smooth; with an overall tone not unlike white noise–harsh and fizzy, in a uniform, steady way. I'd compare it to a very fine grit sandpaper; as opposed to a coarse file. Think Burzum Filosofem, but less distorted and more forceful.
The standout track for me is the monumental "Z.U.," which begins with a choppy tremolo effect–conjuring images of a U.F.O. hovering overhead. Shimmering, glassy, echo-laden guitar textures appear next; I suspect a slide and EBow were likely used to create these soaring notes. This is a nine minute song with a solid slow to mid-tempo verse part, tons of atmosphere, and plenty of sonic insanity that never strays too far from the main theme. The vocals on this track are especially fuzzy with a noticeable distortion effect applied.
My least favorite song on the disc is "Disassemble," which is really more of a sound collage than a proper song. A hodgepodge of mostly backwards-recorded vocal clips and crazy sounds–comparable to the ones found in the other songs, are layered together here. A lack of focused, driving guitar parts or rhythm section guidance keeps this piece more in the "art for art's sake" category, and out of the realm of compelling songs in which its neighbors dwell. It's not particularly bad or annoying; it's simply the weakest link. Considering it is but four minutes in length, and the only song of its type on the album, it really isn't such a bad thing, particularly since it manages to sound very much "at home" alongside the rest of the material.
The genre defying world of OLD may be a bit disconcerting or confusing at first to the unaware, casual traveller who might stumble in expecting a hospitable environment that is conducive to head-banging, fist-pumping, beer swilling fun with their chums on a Friday night. A Master of Puppets or Reign in Blood air guitar party it is not. However, the next time you need some sinister, space-age-psychedelic freak-out music to cut people to... you'll know right where to look.
Lo Flux Tube is a timeless piece of sonic artistry that sounds as ahead of its time today as it did in 1991 when it was released. If this gem is not already in your collection, deprive yourself of it no longer.
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