The Demo Review:
Band Name: Dope Stars Inc.
Demo Title: 10,000 Watts Of Artificial Pleasures
Band Members: Victor Love (vocals, guitars, FX), Grace Khold (machines), Darin Yevonde (bass), Brian Wolfram (guitar)
Location: Rome, Italy

Rating: 2 Skulls

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    • Jotun's Review:
    I listened to this six-song demo in my car, as I usually do with most CDs before I review them. The first time I heard it, I found very little redeeming value in the music or the band's direction. But after listening to it more, and after thinking about the plot that the members of Dope Stars Inc. were focusing on, I understood them better - even though my opinion on their music hasn't changed much.

    All dolled up in eyeliner, nail polish, irregularly-cut hair, big boots, and leather and metal jewelry, Dope Stars Inc. looks and, at many times sounds like a Marilyn Manson knock off - particularly in the vocals department. But after thinking more about the music and more about my own history, I recalled the days that I listened more to KMFDM and Skinny Puppy than Testament and At The Gates. I thought of the days decked out in all black and the thoughts that the whole world was against me and how desperate I felt - but that was some time ago and these guys certainly look older than I was at that time.

    I have since departed from those times and musical tastes, though I do return to the CDs every so often to get sent back 10 years. I also realized that the bands that shaped the electronic-goth circuit, compared to the current generation's take - through bands like Orgy, Spineshank, or Dope - were completely different. Goth-pop, as many refer to it, is the perfect label to throw at these guys.

    Their combination of guitar melodies and electronic loops seem to fit best in a club scene - which may very well be the type of place that it was most inspired by in the band's native homeland of Italy. The beats certainly are catchy, and the vocals do have the expected daily serving of angst and frustration, but venture into some singing or harmonizing that Marilyn Manson probably would steer clear of.

    One of the notable points on this demo is the fact that the band recorded a cover of Billy Idol's "Shock To The System." Perhaps this is a tribute to one of the artists that inspired them the most, but my reaction - like the reaction I had when bands like Orgy ("Blue Monday"), Limp Bizkit ("Faith"), and Dope (who performed a live version of "Cop Killer" one time and may or may not have recorded that) - is that this is yet another band that is looking to profit and skip some of the hoops they must jump through by re-recording a popular hit from the 80s or early 90s.

    Dope Stars Inc. is perfect for fans of the bands I mentioned earlier, but if you are a goth or industrial traditionalist, you will probably find yourself throwing this demo on the pile of other recent less-than-impressive efforts like it.
    2 out of 5

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