VENUS OUTBACK
SPIRON JOHD
ALBUM EMI RELEASE: AUGUST 23, 1999 REVIEW: AUGUST 24, 1999

Every now and then bands emerge that lay more focus on their image and ideas than on their music. Often, this is due to the musics lack of qualities.
This also applies to the Swedish band Venus Outback. In interviews, they often talk about "The Movement", and how singer Pelle Ljungberg thinks that he can relate to Marilyn Manson. This would be annoying enough even if they had some good songs to back up all the crap with. But that is not the case here.
The cold and sterile production definitely doesn't help this, nor do the cliched attempts to sound modern by using quite lame electronics manage to disguise the fact that Venus Outback really is a fairly ordinary rock band.
Despite this, their debut album "Spiron Johd" doesn't entirely lack qualities. There are some moments where the mood is reminiscent of Depeche Mode's dark comeback album "Ultra", but this is often completely wiped out by Pelle Ljunberg's exagerrated vocal delivery. I also enjoy the Ennio Morricone-like guitar on the first single "Sodom Is Free", but that song is also effectively ruined by the vocals, that reach a level of pompousness I haven't heard since Ultravox' awful "Vienna".

KRISTOFFER NOHEDEN