In the intricate ballet of human relationships, love and conflict often intertwine, making war a compelling metaphor for sexual intercourse. Just as opposing forces clash on the battlefield, lovers can find themselves entangled in passionate confrontations, marked by both desire and discord. Each side, driven by their convictions and emotions, seeks victory—be it a conquering of the heart or the resolution of differences. Strategems employed in warfare, like seduction and retreat, mirror the push-pull dynamics of seduction. Amidst the skirmishes, however, there’s an underlying quest for unity and understanding. Thus, love, like war, embodies the paradox of finding intimacy in opposition.
Sweden’s industrial stalwarts Morlocks turn the art of comically performative seduction into a parody of warmongering in their blistering satirical gem “Dicks In Tanks.” Making the obvious parallels between lovin’ spoonfuls and bullet showers, this eight-minute war film skewers the toxic trait of violent dominance in a comically over-the-top delivery. If Spinal Tap and Metallica joined forces with Motörhead, this would be their destiny.
With “Dicks In Tanks,” Morlocks dance precariously on the fringes of our shared dreams, those contradictory realms, and the world’s guilty conscience. They flit about with the slyness of dubious night creatures or charge with the force of a wayward steamroller. Their haunts? The Cold War’s chilly remnants, Rome’s underbelly, and baffling realms that make Kadath seem like a garden party.
“Way too many bands from die Schwarze Szene, metal and industrial alike, are a little too keen on songs about war, doing them *unironically*, and quite often in a somewhat positive light,” says the band. “Some hardcore masculinity there, fellas. We can’t have that, now can we? We just had to crank it up to eleven and put them in their place. Hence, this.”
Using found footage from the military and vintage newsreels, this eight-minute send-up is the ultimate mockery of those celebrating darkness a little too much. Heljarmadr (Grá/Dark Funeral) makes a cameo, as well.
Morlocks formed during the 90s in Gothenburg, Sweden. Today, they exist as a trio that features vocalist and founding member J. Strauss, aka guitarist Innocentius Rabiatus from Dark Side Cowboys. In 2013 they met, befriended and recruited multi-talented bass player/vocalist Lamashtu and the trio has been the core of the band ever since. Morlocks create a bastard hybrid of heavy, guitar-based industrial rock, retrofuturism and epic symphonics.
Praise the Iconoclast is an album that perfectly fuses their signature hybrid of industrial, retrofuturism, machines, symphonies with shards of metallic energy. KMFDM’s Sascha Konietzko, Karin My, and Heljarmadr (Grá and Dark Funeral) make guest vocal appearances. ‘Praise the Iconoclast‘ is out today from Metropolis Records on CD and through all digital streaming platforms.
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