Like the Thrill Kill Kult I wrote about earlier the information on this band is spotty and questionable at best, usually coming from fan sites that are drawing their data from fan based message boards and forums. And that can be good but it can also be dubious at best. In any event such spurious histories tend to add to the myth of a band and one can never be sure if what you are reading is factual or the stuff of legend. In the case of The Lords of Acid the legend almost takes on a quality similar to the story of Dracula as the roots appear to go back to small European countries and families with reputed royal links or ties to vast fortunes in beer industries. I am not sure what to believe or not and all I am clear of is that the founder and leader is one Maurice Engelen, a.k.a. Praga Khan. He was part of the industrial techno sound’s early days in NYC but exactly how this band formed and who is who in it now I am just not sure. In fact I do not even know if I care. I do not mean that is a negative way at all. I am worried if I find out too much they will lose thier mystique for me.

The picture of the wild girl in a theater I posted below is singer “Debbie” but there are other front people and the line up seems to change regularly. Another lead singer seems to be one “Nikki Darling” but I am not sure who sings what and on what album. I do not have liner notes to draw from but I think (and I may well be wrong) that Debbie was the singer for their 2nd album, with the infamous Mitch Cooper cover (presented here uncensored), called VooDoo U which was released in about 1991. I will admit I bought the CD long ago only for the “uncensored” Coop cover but was soon taken in by the heavy sounding industrial rock on the disc. It is similar to what Ministry was doing in the early 90’s but much better in the vocal department. Whoever the girl might be that is singing on Voodoo U she can certainly sing and exudes a naughtiness that is unsettling in a good way.

Like the Thrill Kill Kult their songs glorify fetishism and Dionysian excess but the edginess to the music and singing is more pronounced. The production is of a flawless high quality and there is a definite DJ club mix feel to the songs but they are also well crafted heavy, industrial rock tunes to boot. They do not employ outside samples from films the way TKK do but they do use loops and samples. The music has that industrial feel to it and a kind of Euro-trash element as well. A little former Soviet-bloc decadence set to Khan’s well polished excursions into the rock versions of the Psychopathia Sexualis. There is definitely humor in the songs. How can you not chuckle a little at a cute yet catchy little ditty like The Crablouse, which is a song about one woman’s intimate relationship with her socially transmitted parasite.

I tend to like Voodoo U the most of their albums. It is really edgy and simply rocks on all the tracks. I have not delved too far into the other ones but I have them all on MP3 and will do so. Furthermore once I can figure out who some of the members are I might back and clear that up. But then I am not sure if that is a such a good thing. These bands seem all the more interesting because they are shrouded in mystery and lore. If you want to try to figure some of it out here is a band site of higher quality. Good luck and have many wanton listenings as you kick back in your rubber pajamas and oxygen mask with your copy of DeSade’s Justine.

http://www.lordsofacid.com

TRACK LIST: Dirty Willy-The Crab Louse-Mr Macho Man-Rubber Doll-Pussy

A TO Z LIST OF URANIUM CAFE TOPICS

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