M.A.N. Review

Band	G.I.S.M.
Album	M.A.N.
Type	Album (Studio full-length)
Released	May 15, 1987
Genres	Hardcore Punk, Heavy Metal
Labels	Beast Arts
Length	41:10

Reviewer :  KnightInOctober         Rating :  90 / 100

G.I.S.M. returned in 1987 with an interesting follow-up to their crude classic, "Detestation". "Military Affairs Neurotic" witnesses the Japanese unit largely aborting their seminal style of Crust Punk/Hardcore, instead enforcing upon themselves a more traditional form of Heavy/Speed Metal somewhere in the vein of Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate (minus the soaring falsettos; Sakevi still opted to preserve his raspy croaks and ghastly screams). Could this seemingly unexpected change have been partially fueled by Randy Uchida's temporary stint in R.U.G.? (A side-project that the guitarist founded three years prior in 1984 which served his Heavy Metal aspirations). That might've very well been the case, but then again, even on the first record G.I.S.M. already demonstrated having some amount of Metal running through their blood. One thing that does come out of left field though is the incorporation of Industrial, Noise and Dark Ambient soundscapes, particularly on "Anatomy Love Violence GISM" and "M.A.N.". I'm certain that a lot of narrow-minded people will find those to be just plain tedious or unnecessary. Since I personally enjoy Industrial and Noise and most of their offshoots, those two tracks aren't a problem for me. The only thing I do sort of question is their placement though; I think that one of the tracks should've been positioned elsewhere, as having both of them smack-dab in the middle of the record slightly kills off a bit of its momentum. Anyway, the best tracks here are the Metal/Punk hybrid ones. Randy's dual guitar work on these is stellar. His NWOBHM-inflected guitar melodies and energetic solos also happen to be downright infectious ("Fatigue" and "Degeneration" both serve as excellent examples of this). As was always the case with G.I.S.M and their records, the production here is kind of rough. Fortunately, it doesn't detract from my enjoyment in this case.