The Idiots Guide to Damage

The industrial scene alumni party better known as the Damage Manual is back with their newest offering, Limited Edition. Founding damagers Jah Wobble and Geordie Walker are no longer present, but their void is more than adequately filled by Steven Seibold, the driving force behind Hate Dept. Seibold joins Martin Atkins and Chris Connelly on a beautifully crafted journey through post-industrial, post-punk and danceable driving electro-rock.Despite the loss of their guitarist and bassist, Limited Edition still preserves the sound that the Damage Manual has carefully cultivated over their 5-year career. The opener, “Revenge Fiction,” is your standard guitar/bass/drums rock formula with Connelly’s distinctive voice leading the show with attitude. “I Am War Again” features an upbeat industrial/dance backbone found throughout earlier Atkins and Connelly projects like Pigface and Revolting Cocks, with Seibold adding some clicking and buzzing background loops.

Connelly has always shown amazing range with his voice: spanning from his shrill soulless screams (Ministry, Revolting Cocks) to his calm yet powerful Bowie~esque style (the Bells), all in his native Scottish accent. On Limited Edition, he blends punk attitude with his distinctive flair for melody and penchant for harmonizing with himself. “No Act of Grace,” a darker and subdued track, is a perfect example. Connelly’s voice waltzes through the chorus while implementing a call-and-response with himself using different vocal treatments. On “Driven Menace” we hear a group chant of “M-E-N-A-C-E” followed by his coolly unconcerned delivery.

Limited Edition features decades of experience culminating in a powerful offering that does justice to all involved, including a remix by the legendary Can. And since its limited to 4000 copies, this is not one to wait on.