As
Mentallo & the Fixer's first underground release,
No Rest for the Wicked sports a coarse electro-industrial flavor perhaps more complex than their later works. The sampling is heavier than in their later work, such as Revelations 23, and often there are several melodies working at the same time, also unlike later recordings. In short, the effect of all this is a sound lacking the refinement of later
Mentallo & the Fixer work. The vocal style and distortion, so often the difficult element in industrial music, are somewhat flat on this release. Also, some of the melodies are featured again in other arrangements on later CDs, and invariably the later versions prove to have the clarity this band has become noted for. However, it is these same reasons which make
No Rest for the Wicked such a good listen for established fans of this raw industrial sound. This may be partly due to the mastering, this first album being a low-budget underground release. Further,
Mentallo & the Fixer have abstained from the typical verse-chorus structures which still predominate most industrial music, which has meant that the interest is held largely by the dynamic energies of the melodies, and these melodies are packed with a raw energy and harsh evocative power (the first track, "When Worlds Collide," and "Schizoid Embolism" spring to mind), making this release well worth its time. Often sporting the roughness of later
Wumpscut, this album is definitely a must for listeners who prefer their electro-industrial loud, with a strong beat and coarse edge. ~ Theo Kavadias