Patient Zero (Bentmen) Stamford Hill Review

I tried to describe the Bentmen before, for their 1992 release Magicroom. I guarantee, I won't do a better job this time. Their second album is a lot more polished than the first one; where the first album had a live sound, Patient Zero sounds more finished and complete. It's not any less weird than their first release, but it's definitely studio-ized. The track-by-track...:

Swanee: Starts out with the obligatory drumming and a guitar line that sounds like the inverse of Reeves's "Husnu". The lyrics (printed in the booklet this time!) are nicely simplistic, so that the music comes through more clearly. Bloody Benders: A song about violence in general (from what I can understand), and it's very effective at that -- the combination of the grinding, swelling guitar parts and the vocal treatments, plus the ending: a tenor, singing "Danny Boy" with the sound of machine guns in the background, adds up to a tremendously effective depiction. Oblivion's Engine: Obviously, this is the only thing that can top "Bloody Benders": wailing, robotic vocals, over the standard drumming -- it's the perfect vehicle to describe what can only be described in words as a kind of doomsday machine: Oblivion's Engine. Bad Thing: A very hollow-sounding track, with a lone guitar and drums at the beginning. Even the vocal treatments sound empty and hollow. Patient Zero: It begins with a quote from a movie (don't ask me which one), and so begins a great description of alienation. Once again, the hammered dulcimer comes into play (I love that sound), and for what seems like the first time on Patient Zero, there are no vocal treatments. Up the Light: Another movie quote at the beginning of a frantic drum-based track, accenting the desperation of "I am turning up the lights" in the chorus. Great guitar part at the end, too. Messiah's Gun: One more movie quote to kick off a Bentmen track with a religious bent (no pun intended). The lyrical content of this track is actually more important than the music, which is rare in a Bentmen song. And even though "Messiah's Gun" is more about the lyrics than the music, it still settles into a groove, with squealing guitar solos at the end. Wallet: If a song could sound even more empty than "Bad Thing", then this does. It's based around a repetitve guitar part, intermittent rhythm parts, and -- of course -- wailing lyrics. The guitars and rhythm tracks come in for the chorus. All in all, it doesn't make much sense to me, but it's a very cool "mood" piece. We've Taken the Children: It starts with a Gregorian-Chant style opening, with electric bass and drums accenting the vocals. Eventually, the lead vocals come in, adding to a "mood" piece, with the good old hammered dulcimer making another guest appearance, and the Gregorian Chanters coming back every so often

The Bottom Line: If you thought "Magicroom" was weird, that's nothing. Much of this album comes across as somewhat expressionist -- designed to convey an emotion or a thought rather than a block of lyrical content. Of course, some of that comes along with a more complete production job. In any case, this album is definitely recommended listening.