The story goes that a 17-year-old
Bomb 20 contacted Digital Hardcore/
Atari Teenage Riot leader
Alec Empire and accused him of being too old and out of touch already. Bravado? Not when you give an ear to
Field Manual, which manages the unique trick of not merely equaling but outstripping
Empire's sonic approach. Massive hip-hop drum loops, screeches, and distortion are here a-plenty, but there's just that little bit more to
Bomb 20's approach that makes him a totally unstoppable machine. There's never a totally silent moment; songs slam into one another willy-nilly, vocal samples are chopped up to increase the air of frenetic paranoia and desperation, and everything sounds like it's going to collapse right there and then. Part of
Bomb 20's greater appeal could be the more clipped form of sloganeering --
Bomb 20 isn't interested in packing in dissertations regarding the oppression of neo-capitalism into songs like "Burn the Shit Down!," saving the in-depth studies for the liner notes and brief transitional pieces like "Anyday." Drawing his lyrics from any number of movie and TV samples, what shoots through the main mayhem is mostly brutal "destroy everything now while I destroy you!" material. In tandem with the high-powered grinding loops, it all makes perfect sense regardless of where you stand. As for said loops and production,
Bomb 20 is spot on -- he has a great ear for maximum impact at both slow and fast paces, knowing when to interject quieter moments to bring out the intensity of pieces like "We Can Fuck" all the much more. Picking out highlights from such a great release is hard, but standouts include "Made of Shit," where a tweaked semi-melody runs rampant over the drum chaos, and the equally frazzled combination of "Donutz and Blood" and "Innocent Bystanders." ~ Ned Raggett