BONDAGE FRUIT II

I first rated this album four years ago (its now 2024) when first discovering Zeuhl. Since then the genre has reached a new appeal for me so I'm coming back to revise my score! This album combines 'Zeuhl 101' scatty female vocals grinding bass and aggressive drumming, with elements of space rock and a hint of punk. Dissonance and distortion feature but on the whole its very well refined. Daichi No Ko in particular is a fantastic track, with background space elements and tribal sounding drums and vocals, and a belting guitar solo too. Caucus Race showcases some incredible drumming, and Cottleston Pie is a calmer and more ethereal take on the tribal & space rock combination. Gel-Colloid is a little more chaotic (but not on the level of distant cousin Ruins). The first longer track Kodomo No Guntai is about as 'Magma' as it gets, a slow paced military march with the classic foreboding guitar and chanting vocals. Half way in though it transitions into a slow jazzy jam, still with the marching drum underneath, to add a bit of variety and ends with some mad scatting. The other long track Terminal Man is a winding atmospheric number, starting vibraphone/marimba heavy and developing into a dissonant and eerie violin section before a final couple of minutes crescendo of vocals. I originally gave this a low 3 stars, now upgraded to a comfortable four.