Make no mistake, no band is making the kind of music that Ulterior make in this day and age. Dark,goth-y and reeking of the smell of dry ice, fog machines and clubs that have very strict dress codes on Friday nights, The Bleach Room is like the opening salvo of The Hunger on acid. Think ‘8o’s era Ministry or Skinny Puppy fronted by the bastard child of Peter Murphy and John Lydon with the full use of today’s technologies put through a Rebel Yell filter. It makes sense. Trust me.
A lot less guitar oriented than their brilliant debut Wild In Wildlife, The Bleach Room does more with less (And sometimes more with more if you listen to the endlessly brilliant “Skydancing”). From the second “Fun Gun” starts it’s obvious that The Bleach Room is a whole new kind of monster. Benn McGregor immediately sets a sinister synthesized tone that flows into “Zero Over Two” where vocalist Paul McGregor switches from a foreboding baritone to his truly grandiose upper range for the glorious chorus. “Psychic Chic” is 21st Century cyberpunk at its best while the aforementioned “Skydancing” is easily the best song yet of Ulterior’s short career and sees guitarist Paul Simmons make his instrument literally scream as bassist Mickey J Ellis makes the ground quake.
Delving deeper into The Bleach Room and the wide range of Ulterior is apparent. There’s the schizophrenic madness of “Cool TV” in one corner and in another there’s the Idol-esque (Billy, not American) rock of “Body Hammer” and “Motorin'”. The only time The Bleach Room misses a step is on “Hello Andromeda” which within the context of the album makes perfect sense but as its own entity threatens to float off into the ether.
The Bleach Room is absolutely the first must own album of 2013. Get yours here through amazon.co.uk or through Ulterior’s Bandcamp page for immediate satisfaction on January 28th.
Grade: A+