Menschenmaschine

To paraphrase George Michael, sometimes you gotta have faith. I have waited 20 years to hear this demo since first learning of its existence. Me and various other people have been asking on obscure punk websites and forums for years, to no avail. The "Menschenmaschine" tape has been an elusive myth; a lost artifact from the most legendary of Bremen hardcore bands. At least, that was the case until a few days before I wrote this review, when I managed to find someone who had somehow managed to get a copy. A serendipitous internet-enabled conversation followed, resulting in them uploading it. The feeling of finally hearing this demo is one of excitement and relief. I can continue with the rest of my life now, whatever that entails.

I'll forgive you for wondering what all the fuss is about. Most of the songs here will be familiar to everyone who has already discovered this incredible band. Three songs ("Attempt", "Injection", "Ordinary") were later re-recorded in their ultimate form on the groundbreaking 1994 seven-inch. These early demo versions sound rougher and rawer, but no less savage. Of the three, "Ordinary" and "Injection" fare best. The version of “Attempt” is faster than the later one, but not as sinister or as fluid in execution (the drumming is awesome but doesn’t hold the groove in the same way). Astute fans of the band will also recognise another song, "Agony", as an unnamed hidden track at the end of the posthumous "...to Reduce the Choir to One Soloist" compilation (this version was included there). The demo gives this song its rightful place and prominence, as the centerpiece rather than as a mere bonus track. The sluggish nastiness and metallic ferocity of this track scratches an itch that nothing else can reach.

The real prize is "Irrelevant", a song that Acme enthusiasts (of which I am one, but by no means the only one), have known from a couple of contemporary live recordings. Hearing this studio recording allows for a true appraisal of the song's structure. This track is fucking intense and menacing in the way that only Acme knew how. It begins with a riff seemingly borrowed from Rorschach's "Pavlov's Dogs" before twisting onto an inevitable Slayer-ish riff pattern. This song exemplifies the guitarist's peculiar playing style, building atmosphere and momentum by bleeding notes across from one riff to the next, with creepy discordance, then shifting chords up and down the neck in rabid fashion. This song is as good as any of the band's better known moments, and I have no idea why it was excluded from the compilation.

The demo is bookended by an intro and outro. The latter provides no more than creepy ambience. The former requires contextual explanation and may be the reason this demo has remained in the shadows for so long (perhaps at the band's request). It is a garbled, echo-laden, chopped up sample of a Hitler speech. It is dark and disturbing, and could cause confusion or outrage for a modern listener without proper context. The world has changed since this was released, and fascism has become much more prevalent and problematic in both the metal and punk scenes. Before casting aspersions and accusations, consider that Acme were from a punk scene that gave no quarter to anyone with Nazi affiliations. Remember also that Rorschach, the band's primary influence, sampled an eerie speech from the Twilight Zone on their debut album a few years earlier ("All the Dachaus must remain standing...because they are a monument to a moment in time when some men decided to turn the Earth into a graveyard."). Context is key, and Acme being a German band makes this even more relevant.

The fact that this demo came out in 1993 is mind boggling. These guys nailed their style so perfectly, and so early, that their influences are hard to spot. Combine “Remain Sedate" with "South of Heaven" and add some UK crust (e.g., the twisted genius of Deviated Instinct's "Guttural Breath"), and you might arrive at the sound on this demo, but it is still a stretch. Acme laid down the gauntlet for all the metal-influenced punk and hardcore that followed. The extremity and intensity of these songs has proved impossible to beat, contributing to the band's legendary impact worldwide (in niche circles, admittedly). Of course, newcomers to the band should seek the "...to Reduce the Choir..." compilation first before hearing this demo, but the power of this recording is beyond doubt.