Faster Pussycat
's 2001 reunion tour was a definite hit with America's thriving
metal
underground. But rather than capitalize on that success with new songs, or even a greatest-hits release,
Faster
frontman
Taime Downe
decided to dress up his old band in the ridiculous black vinyl of his new one. With
Downe
's post-
Pussycat
project,
Newlydeads
, as its yardstick,
Between the Valley of the Ultra Pussy
drops 11
FP
classics into a den of
industrial
dance
buffoonery. Vestiges of the original tracks leave their ghostly signature -- a guitar riff here, a snatch of lyrical catch phrase there. But mostly,
Ultra Pussy
is a short-circuited mess. It's like throwing a boom box blasting
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
's
Sexplosion!
into a retention pond full of
Rob Zombie
impersonators.
"Bathroom Wall"
and
"Arizona Indian Doll"
(from
Wake Me When It's Over
, respectively) are arguably the best thing here. But even these last at least a minute too long, so that the pushbutton percussion and disembodied guitar become interminable. Longtime
or
' fans might be interested in
"Blood,"
which is listed as an unreleased demo. But there's no excuse for pulling
Kiss
'
"I Was Made for Loving You"
into this mechanistic morass. It's one thing to sully your own material, but to damage another band's is doubly disappointing. ~ Johnny Loftus