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False Icons
God Complex

13th Planet Records / Megaforce Records

Posted: Tuesday, December 02, 2008
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

You may not have heard of John Bechdel, but it's almost certain that you've heard his music. Over the years, he's lent his skills as a keyboardist and producer to many of the industrial rock scene's heavy-hitters, not the least of which are Ministry, Fear Factory, Prong, Static-X, and Killing Joke. Now residing on the Thirteenth Planet, the label founded by Ministry's Al Jourgensen, he's not only joined the seminal industrial/metal outfit on their farewell tour, as well as formed Ascension of the Watchers with Fear Factory's Burton C. Bell, but he's now stepping into the limelight with his own band, False Icons. Rounded out by keyboardist/guitarist Brian Broadt, drummer Mark Panek, and bassist Dave Brown, Bechdel & co. blast out a vicious helping of industrial rock, not dissimilar to several of the acts he's been associated with. As such, one might be inclined to think that the band hardly stretches out from what he's already accomplished, although from the first scathing synthesizers of "Decay," False Icons demonstrate a propensity for giving equal attention to the electronic aspects of their music. Even as chugging riffs resound throughout, layers of synth tweaks, arpeggios, and pads make their presence known, creating a depth of sound that will surely put many in the mind of the early albums of Sister Machine Gun and '90s era KMFDM. Tracks like "Into the Emptiness," "Recover," and " Mystified" perhaps best exemplify the band's formula, as the synthetic and organic elements are in a near perfect balance where each sound - be it a slithering electronic sequence, a twittering guitar line, or the drum breaks - is heard crisply in the mix without one overtaking the other. That's not to say that the band lightens up on the rockier side of things, as "The Wheel" could easily be a Ministry outtake with its thrashing chorus of heavy guitars and percussion and Bechdel and Broadt taking their vocals to levels of aggression that are rather uncommon for the bulk of the album. As a lead vocalist, Bechdel explores a varied range of styles; while his natural tone is not particularly dynamic, it is more than passable in its sense of melody without going into gratuitous histrionics. He adds a bit of electrified distortion on the band's namesake song, "False Icons," and he roughens things up a bit on "Deterioration" in a manner that is sure to remind many listeners of Cubanate's Marc Heal. God Complex is interestingly titled, almost relating to Bechdel's ironic stature in the underground industrial music scene, for while he is well known and respected by the musicians at large, he's been relatively invisible to audiences up until now. The only downside to this album is that it hardly breaks any new ground, so while God Complex might satisfy fans of industrial rock as well as demonstrate Bechdel's talents more overtly than his numerous collaborations would indicate, False Icons ultimately comes across as a band not without talent, but with very little to distinguish themselves. But then again, it could simply be the intent to just give audiences some good old-fashioned industrial rock, in which case God Complex succeeds quite well.