Searching for the perfect Christmas season party- wrecker? Look no further, children, than Six Finger Satellite's ugly, sinister masterpiece, Law of Ruins to destroy any false sense of filial bliss this year. Yeah, kids, if you're unlucky enough to be subjected to those pain- in- the- ass annual holiday family parties, here's what you do: When the party's in full force, take care to sneak Law of Ruins in between the Johnny Mathis and Andy Williams Christmas LPs. Tell the adults it sounds like Andrew Lloyd Webber. Once the mayhem starts, go into fake convulsions on the floor. It's a perfect way to confirm any suspicions that your stodgy God- fearing cousins may have about you being a disciple of Satan. They'll drop the O'Doul's and deviled eggs and head straight for the convoy of mini-vans parked outside. Then you'll never have to worry about spending the holidays with those cheap, crotchety old gossip- hounds again. Hallelujah!

Six Finger Satellite builds on the demonic soundscapes, minimalist tribal rhythms, and screeching synthesizer meltdowns that dominated 1996's Paranormalized. Law of Ruins leads off with what sounds like a mechanized mosquito buzz, giving way to a mellow synth line underpinned by a liquid bass-- like something culled from an early Gary Numan album. Then Blaaangg! The guitars arrive, fired-up and decidedly pissed. They pile- drive their way through the sputtering Moogs and chugging bass. The tortured vocals conjure up images of an escaped mental patient shuffling down the street, screaming semi-coherent Anarchist dogma in the face of anyone unfortunate enough to make eye contact.

It really strikes me how the seemingly rudderless sonic instability on Law of Ruins can so strongly advance the notion that melody and symmetrical song structure can be vastly overrated. Unhampered by the trappings of guitar "technique," Six Finger Satellite give the middle finger to standardized notions of intonation while creatively mutilating traditional chord sequencing. On a few occasions, they can just as effortlessly segue into cooled- down ambient dronescapes. And as soon as you think they're beginning to get a little soft and sensitive, the next onslaught hits. They work from a simple bulwark rhythmic base-- whipping up brutal, twisted grooves that feed upon themselves and just keep gaining in intensity. The band's menacing schizophrenic sound dynamic certainly brings to mind, at times, old Mission of Burma and Birthday Party art-core punk, while betraying an undeniable Can and Kraftwerk krautrock influence.

All hyperbole aside, Law of Ruins could very easily be the guitar album of the year. And it's possibly the closest anyone's come to pulling off a Raw Power for the '90s. Considering their ability to successfully apply chaos theory to rock music, and to use dissonance and atonality to such mind- blowing ends, it's a good bet that ol' Fred Nietzche would've loved these guys. Of course, you don't have to be some angry, sexually- repressed German philosopher to appreciate this shiny beast of a band. With Law of Ruins, Six Finger Satellite should have a wider appeal than they've ever had. But, unlike most of the complacent, art- schooled indie rock of today, Six Finger Satellite is still potent enough to shatter the nerves of uptight moms and dads everywhere. And, in the end, kiddos, has there ever been a more effective measure of great rock 'n' roll than music that bursts old people's blood vessels?

-Michael Sandlin

"Race Against Space"

[Real Audio Stream]