The Ripple Effect: The Music Commentary Radio Show  

Y’know, there’s that fine line with angst ridden metal.

On one side of this line, it can be insipid, self gratifying, meathead music. On the other side, it can actually be honest, vibrant, and a snapshot of one’s mental anguish over deeds done wrong. From that line, the drop to negative is an incredibly steep drop to the bowels of derisive mockery. The reward from walking this treacherous, corpse ridden line is that those who survive and do it right, come out with a product that can excite and inspire all who believe in it. A Hungarian bunch figured out the proper steps along the path. They call themselves Ektomorf, and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting too much from this offering (I’ve been feeling negative with submissions of late.) What I got when I dropped the needle on the record was an overwhelming sense that these guys were pissed off about something and I too suddenly wanted to run amok and break stuff. What has come over me? I’ve heard angst-y music before and most times I find myself thinking, “Really? Is it all that bad?” With Ektomorf, I finally felt the angst that these other bands so fruitlessly tried to pass off. I felt the bitter resentment of physical, mental, and emotional persecution. I felt the pain, and the hatred, and the violent need to react with force. What Doesn’t Kill Me is a cathartic release of demons that possessed a group of guys from a small, impoverished nation, and frankly, I’m buying what they’re selling.