ORDO ROSARIUS EQUILIBRIO COCKTAILS, CARNAGE, CRUCIFICTION AND PORNOGRAPHY ALBUM COLD MEAT INDUSTRY RELEASE: MAY 30, 2003 REVIEW: AUGUST 8, 2003

"Coctails, Carnage, Crucifiction and Pornography" ("CCCP") is a good showcase of the Cold Meat Industry mentality, and perhaps for a kind of mindset of the esoteric underground in general. The breaking of various taboos is important, and in the case of Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio (ORE) this takes the form of a celebration decadence, and specifically sexual fetishes in different forms. Central in lyrics and music both, is the firm decision to see the world for what it is, beyond lies and deceptions. The world seem thus, to the artists, a far grimmer but also more honest, a place where one needs to struggle for his or her visions. A yearning for an ancient world, truer and simpler than our time, is also prevalent. Finally, the artwork of the CD-case and sleeve is almost invariably beautifully crafted and often the handiwork of the artist, like the lingerie photography in the "CCCP"-sleeve.
ORE have been going for ten years and helped define the musical direction of this fuzzy genre caught between industrial, folk music and gothic literature. The acoustic guitars and the chanting vocals displayed on this album can be heard on countless CD:s of like minded artists around the world.
That said, I am not all that satisfied by the sound that ORE has developed. The songs on "CCCP" with their slow industrial beat tend to drone on too long, lacking dynamics. Songs that start out promisingly, like the accordion and brass-accompanied "Tango for the Concession of the Suspender Princess" never really lift off, wasting a good idea by relying entirely on it. The chanting of Pettersson reminds me slightly of David Tibet of Current 93, but lacks his theatrical affection and tends to grow tiresome.
The erotic aspect of "CCCP" also fails to impress me. A decidedly male, dominant view is presented here (despite the cover and the lyrics on "Remember Depravity, and the orgies of Rome"), and the fantasy is of a mystical, corseted, bound vixen in sexy lingerie. My cliche-spotting spider sense starts tingling and sends me running for cover. Musically, I would really enjoy hearing an album with an erotic atmosphere, but as "CCCP" makes clear, the way of doing that is definitely not to sample moaning women onto every track and chant "sex" during an entire song.
Oh, and the title, as well as starting and ending the album with the Soviet national anthem is apparently a reference to various aspects of Russian history. What that has to do with the rest of the album, I have absolutely no idea.

MATTIAS HUSS