Retro Transmission [Bonus Tracks] [PA]

Performer: Chrome
Engineer: Helios Creed; Helios Creed
Producer: Helios Creed; Helios Creed
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Chrome: Helios Creed (vocals, guitar, samples); Tommy L. Cyborg (vocals, synthesizer); Nova Cain (guitar); Z. Sylver (synthesizer); Hillary Stench (bass); John Stench, Paul Della Pelle (drums). Recorded in 1997. Chrome: Helios Creed (vocals, guitar, sampler); Tommy L. Cuborg (vocals, synthesizer); Nova Cain (guitar); Z. Sylver (synthesizer); Hillary Stench (bass instrument); Paul Della Pelle (drums, drum); John Haines (drum). Recording information: Half Machine Studios (1997). Following the death of Chrome vocalist/guitarist Damon Edge in 1995, the band's co-founder vocalist/guitarist Helios Creed decided to take the reins, returning the group to a more edgy and experimental sound steeped in spacey psychedelia. This 1997 album is widely considered to be one of the best latter-day Chrome outings, a notion reinforced by the chilly "Artificial Human" and the dreamy "Mithras." Chrome's first full-length release since the death of co-founder Damon Edge in 1995, 1997's Retro Transmission is a resounding return to form for a band who had lost their way after co-leader Helios Creed had left in the mid-'80s. (Ironically, this tribute album is worlds above any of the disappointing albums Edge released under the Chrome name from 1986 to 1990.) Wisely keeping the lyrics to a minimum (and on songs like "Sirius System" and "More Space," processing the vocals so heavily that their content is beside the point), Creed and the new Chrome lineup -- featuring the return of John Stench on drums and brother Hilary Stench on bass -- keep the focus entirely on hypnotic rhythms, pummeling drums, and Creed's guitar and keyboard treatments, which add a layer of atmosphere and mystery to what would otherwise be fairly routine grinding, metal-edged rock songs. The highlights are the two most extended tracks: the nearly 11-minute title track, which sounds like the Stooges' "L.A. Blues" transported a few centuries ahead, and the almost pretty, worldbeat-influenced closer "Mithras." [Cleopatra's 2008 reissue featured three bonus cover songs.] ~ Stewart Mason

Reimagining the cosmic angle of Hawkwind and the harsh psychedelia of Silver Apples for an urban dystopia, San Francisco's Chrome represented the extreme experimental wing of early punk and were instrumental in the creation of industrial music. The band underwent many line-up changes in their lifespan, but either founder Damon Edge or guitarist Helios Creed--recruited after their 1976 debut--or both were constants. Over the course of their late '70s albums, the band's sound morphed from noise-based, heavily affected guitar psych to a more synthesizer- and programming-driven approach. Damon Edge recorded many solo albums under the Chrome moniker in the mid '80s and early '90s, while Helios Creed retook the reins when Edge died from heart failure in 1995.

Click Here for Shipping Options and Policies

Shipping or Dimension weight in pounds: 0.5