Review by André Doucette
To describe The Medullary Paralysis in a simple review would be a daunting task. To label them with a genre would be limiting to their potential. Rather The MP must be experienced, in order to understand them. “Industrial glam on the dance floor” would be a start.
Their ‘Sound’ is unlike any other. The methods in which they create their Sound, are unlike any other. They are unique. Unique to themselves, unique to their tastes, and unique to their own imaginations. Consider the synthetic texture of the guitar’s and drum’s of the age of Glam rock, combined with the emotion, dynamic and feeling we’ve come to love from the Industrial music realm. But they are not ‘Dark’ in the sense; their ambitions are towards promoting a positive message, one of understanding, compassion, empathy and a desire for a better world.
Alessandro Alfano and Valentino Coletto are amongst some of the most rare people I have had the pleasure to sharing the studio with. Their ideas are wild, their ambitions are exemplary, and to experience their Sound is a considerably intriguing experience. A dynamic duo of brothers, Alfano and Coletto mold their professional attributes together to create a partnership that is equaled in artistry and business. There is no doubt that the future will bold well for these talented individuals. Fearless of moving towards a Sound that could be considered ‘out of the ordinary’; they are a rare exception of those who use their challenges in life as a means for expression and perseverance. They are artists, unlike any other, who hold within them the grandest desire for their message to be received.
“The message, is the most important part of our music.” – Alessandro Alfano
I eagerly anticipate the release of their debut album.
The latex is cool too!
: )
PowerPlay Magazine UK | We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion
This short, sharp shock of futuristic noise is very cool indeed. Buzzsaw
guitars and punky structures are beaten to a pulp with industrial beats
and electronic effects, and the songs are good enough to take the
beating. This Italian trio take goth, punk, glam and industrial music
and throw themselves at it like a drunk hurls himself at someone who
just spilled his pint and looked at his girlfriend.
“Compassion on the Dance Floor” is a sub-three-minute burst digitally
processed bile, and is very refreshing. Indeed. The other two tracks on
this release, “Fashion Slave” and “Heaven Forbid” are just as punchy.
Their music kind of brings to mind Marilyn Manson circa the “Mechanical
Animals” album, but attacked by the Wildhearts along the way.
I’d love to hear what this bunch of nutters would come up with if they
got their hands on a proper record deal, and would like to put them
forward to any prospective labels as something rather unique in the sea
of mediocre sub-emo bands you’re having to trawl through at the moment.
This is glamorous music for deviants, and it has a brain too. Scary
enough for you?
The End Records | The Medullary Paralysis
After a while spent perusing bands and artists from a myriad of
backgrounds and styles, you begin to get a grip on what comprises the
music world thematically. Black Metal bands will possess certain
connotations and affectations while a Doom metal band will order itself
visually and aesthetically according to the characteristics of their
sound. You begin to get a sense about bands based upon their visual
appearance and presentation of material, which can be a useful sign post
for grasping what an artist is about prior to actually listening to
their music. Not so in the case of Italy’s The Medullary Paralysis, a
band so strange and mind fucking that I had to take of stock of what I
was doing before delving into their material!
Decked out in matching head to toe purple jumpsuits, the three members
of The Medullary Paralysis espouse a philosophy of no drugs, no drinking
and no sex, a moral stance which apparently involves them wearing their
uniforms 24/7! The bands’ blog has bizarre photos of them mowing the
lawn, shopping for groceries and cooking dinner all whilst draped in
their latex finery. While it is extremely gimmicky and eye catching, the
band does well supplementing their image with actual musical content.
The hard driving “Routine Matters” comes across like a crazed Gary
Numan, flashes of 80's electronic perfection and meticulousness peering
out of a snarling squall of aggression. Programmed drums collide with
the kind of fuzzed out, distorted guitars that would do Billy Corgan
proud. The band cites Marilyn Manson, Tears For Fears and Smashing
Pumpkins as prime artistic footnotes, attributions that can definitely
be glimpsed in the drum programmed, noisy and hyper aggressive
industrial sound these guys channel. Fans of heavier goth inspired
electronic rock will definitely find a lot to enjoy in these tracks,
songs tempered with equal amounts aggression and polished pop, an
interesting and pleasing blend that, if not original, is fun to listen
to. The truly bizarre appearance and extra-curricular antics this band
displays are notable in of themselves, but The Medullary Paralysis
supplants being a joke band with some pretty great tracks lurking behind
their purple latex exterior.
Tasty Fanzine | We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion
Aye aye. That’s what I thought when this CD came through the post some
time ago with 3 rather glum-looking latex-goths emblazoned across the
cover. That will be interesting I thought (and I hadn’t even read the
title of the EP at that point). Probably a good thing they are not
having sex – there would be some terrible sweaty chafing going on around
all that latex (not to mention a lot of static being produced).
Then I listened to the EP and what do you know – it’s actually bloody
excellent. All three songs originate in a very synthetic industrial glam
(think early Ministry or offspring Revolting Cocks). Whereas
‘Compassion on the Dance Floor’ is the poppy one, ‘Fashion Slave’ backs
it up with a sledgehammer grind core type of sound, more in keeping with
Nottingham’s Ann Arbour. There’s an awful lot of fuzz on all three
tracks but the overall result of these three Italians’ endeavours is
startlingly good. Well worth a bit of further investigation.
Street Voice UK Music Magazine | We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion
This industrial three-piece from Italy are the nuts. Despite the strange ultra lengthy title to this three track EP I really do think this band should be checked out. The Medullary Paralysis manage to create something very interesting and more importantly something you can dance to. Just have a listen to 'Compassion On The Dance Floor' you'll understand what I'm on about! This is certainly my favourite track though the third track 'Heaven Forbid' comes in very close with its darker sound. 'Fashion Slave' is certainly worthy of a listen though could have done with a little more dancey feel to it. I've played this a few times now and every time I discover something new in the sound and that's what makes a good record in my eyes. If the industrial scene is your thing I recommend you give these a listen.
Glam Rock Magazine | We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion
Don't let the purple latex fool you! This Italian Industrial Glam band takes music to the future! After listening to their new EP, I was quickly drawn to the song, Fashion Slave. It's a heart pumping song reminiscent of old school Marilyn Manson and the brilliant soundtrack to the movie Queen of the Damned. Its beat is sexy and slinky while the vocals are smooth which creates a toxic combination that I can picture being used in any major motion picture or even on an indie goth designers runway! All the lyrics are in English which appeals to a much larger market. The band writes “In Italy we have little chance to be heard by international and open-minded professionals. Our lyrics are in English and we don't play Italian Pop: this is why we submit our songs all over the world, ready to pack up at any moment”. After one afternoon, I'm already a fan! I want to hear their music in the next great action movie or vampire movie! This band is going place!
Side-Line Music Magazine | We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion
I've never been that fond of Italian gothic-rock bands, but what I here like with this trio is that they don't really sound Italian at all. The Medullary Paralysis sounds like the offspring of Marilyn Manson (especially for the way of singing) and NIN. We here get 3 tracks opening with the merciless "Compassion On The Dance Floor". It's a hard piece of what I would call glamour-industrial-rock. It might sound as a weird definition, but this band definitely isn't a typical emulation. The next two songs are more reminding me of M. Manson for the way of singing. The guitar parts are rather quiet on "Fashion Slave" and a bit chaotic on "Heaven Forbid". I'm sure there's a potential hiding inside this band, but we just need a few more tracks to get sure about it!
the sunday experience | We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion
The Medullary Paralysis hail from Italy, they are a three piece and according to the attaching press release have oft been compared to the Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson and Tears for Fears - although I’m suspecting that the Tears for Fears to which it refers are the little known dark half from a parallel universe TfF or else I need my ears testing. Winning hands down the longest song title this missive and probably for that matter any other missive before it, ‘we don’t drink, we don’t take drugs, we don’t have sex, we feel compassion’ may appear a rum do based on its name alone, the photo adorning the sleeve a distinctively austere purple and white shot of the band looking for all the world like the Manics dolled up as mascara wearing fetish styled Kraftwerkian mannequins. The sounds inside - ah well we’ll settle for shoe-gazing industrial disco as being the best way of off handedly describing them, ’compassion on the dance floor’ certainly has something of a ’pure’ era Numan cast about its matrix albeit dutifully dashed with a post apocalyptic My Bloody Valentine kaleidoscopic swirl, strangely majestic and crafted with a withering wide screen aspect pitted, riddled and distressed by an armoury of toxic beats, its seems the Medullary Paralysis have a grasp of that darkly hybrid techno charged fatal glamour that was once the trademark of Curve, through the cross fired haze of scrambled pouting and purring communiqués moments of clarity emerge casting suggestively demurred swathes of passion consuming oblivion. ‘fashion slave’ is a little more disjointed and decadently seductive in appearance, the NIN reference markers all to obvious through the oppressive desperate and dirty desire there’s a recalling of a would be Depeche Mode persona being re-threaded by an alliance formed of Clock DVA and 1919 types. Best of the set by some distance is the parting ’heaven forbid’ - replete with clipped strut grooves and purring and prowling like a beast on heat as its tensely freefalls into goth laced bliss draped euphoric states once the remit of the likes of Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilm and Flesh for Lulu. Single of the Missive.
Wildy’s World | We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion
Italy’s The Medullary Paralysis is here with their debut EP, We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion. We Don't Drink… opens with Compassion On The Dance Floor, a heavy techno/electrohouse number with ambient and pop elements. The song is absolutely mind-numbing at the right volume; the sort of music where you can get lost in the layers (with the right help). Fashion Slave takes a bit of Nine Inch Nails industrial and expounds on it, variation style. The heavy rock feel means this song would have a chance to cross over from club land to some free-thinking metal fans as well. The EP closes out with Heaven Forbid; Frenetic, rapid-fire rhythms on an industrial base with synth infusing a hint of ambience over the top. Heaven Forbid is the most cogent recording on the disc, but still gets mired in a wall of sound resulting from an attempt to do too much.
MTUK | We Don’t Drink, We Don’t Take Drugs, We Don’t Have Sex, We Feel Compassion
In this age of salaciousness, it is hard to find anyone who shuns both
drink, drugs AND sex. Sure, head to a hardcore night and you’re bound to
find a straightedger or two, but you only need to have read Manson’s
Long Hard Road Out Of Hell to know what a debauched game these
industrial Goth types often play. This androgynous latex-wearing
triumvirate are having none of it; in fact, they are the sort of good,
clean boys any wholesome Christian parent would be delighted for you to
bring round for dinner… well, if they can get past all the rubber and
eyeliner, that is!
Given that this is merely a three track demo, it comes in very sleek
cardboard packaging; a glaring clinical white broken up by text quotes
such as ‘You have an out-of-body experience when we mix The Smashing
Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson. And Tears For Fears too.’ Now, as
professional as this all looks it is this which lets it down and even
leaves them open to criticism. Sure enough the second part isn’t far
from the truth, but saying so on your CD cover just screams ‘cover
band.’ But anyway, onto the music and at only 11 minutes in length this
is over and done with before I’ve managed to even prise myself into my
PVC dress, let alone get out the front door and yet already I feel as
though I’ve made it down the Wendy House, drank a couple of bottles and
now I’m getting down to some ‘Compassion On The Dancefloor;’ eugh, well
perhaps minus the compassion part, though it’s nothing I haven’t seen
before! The techno beats come fast and thick while a dark undercurrent
of bottom end pulls you down into the music; perhaps not enough to make
this the out-of-body experience they promise (well, unless they are
sneaking a bit of acid when no-one is looking) but it does have that
kind of vibe to it.
Vocals, when not so heavily synthesized, are quite dark and seductive
and remind of a cross between Trent Reznor and Billy Corgan, while on
‘Fashion Slave’ they are delivered with a bit of a twang that certainly
warrants the Marilyn Manson reference. This track is easily the best of
the bunch. While sandwiched between two tracks that really focus on
being of supersonic speed, this is more mid-paced. The drum machine is
heavy and there’s a certain ambience to it all as sounds all whirl
around in the mix while an angular guitar pattern works its way in on
occasion. ‘Heaven Forbid’ is fast and projects a confident, focussed
rhythm that is clearly on a mission and yet in places it all falls apart
and the tumultuous rhythm leads way to a rather haunting chorus that
sweeps across the dancefloor emitting a layer of darkness that I rather
like. These three tracks are highly danceable and really make me want to
move. How this would work as a full length album, I’m not sure as it
really depends on what else they can offer in terms of making one that
is dynamic and not simply one long track… but I’d recommend this as one
to take down the club, hand to the DJ and insist he play it.
