Methadrone
Erroneous Enlightenment (Demo CD) 2003 No Label
From the ashes of Womb, comes Craig Pillard's new band, Methadrone, with the demo 'Erroneous Enlightenment'. The band is a 2-piece, featuring Craig--who also used to play in Incantation--on vocals, lead bass, drum/key programming and Randi Stokes on rythm bass. One might think, that relying on two basses, instead of guitars, would somewhat limit the scope of the band. This however, is not true, as Methadrone manage to vary the frequencies quite a bit, even sounding melodic at times! The demo starts with an up-tempo track called 'Dozer', which hints at an industrial like sound, mainly due to the keyboards, and programmed drums. The low end rythm bass, is complimented nicely by the higher sounds of the lead bass. This combination works well, and is present throughout much of the demo's six tracks. The tempo slows down for the title track, sounding almost drone like at times. The vocals, which start about 3 minutes in, are low, gutteral growls... reminding one of Evoken and perhaps Mortician, as well. Next up, the instrumental 'Placebo' beings with some nice bass feedback/pick scrapes, which leads to a melodic riff, backed by keyboard atmospheres. 'Contaminate' continues the melodic leads of the previous track, but also adds vocals to the mix. 'Affliction', the shortest track on the demo, at only 2:45, is the most industrial like of all, with short, repetitive riffing during the intro, and vocals that have some reverb added, making them very metallic sounding. Final track, 'Dextropropoxyphene', which is named for a powerful pain relief drug, known for its many toxic side effects, and a close relative of methadrone, features sparse lyrics, most of which are the song title, itself. It is probably the most melodic of all tracks, and a strong demo closer. Overall, Methadrone's brand of doom comes off as crushing and sludgy, while also being melodic and atmospheric, without weaving in any gothic influences. This is a good start for the band.	1. Dozer 2. Erroneous Enlightenment 3. Placebo 4. Contaminate 5. Affliction 6. Dextropropoxyphene Approx. 34 minutes
Reviewed by: Matt Zuchowski
Retrogression (Promo CD) 2004 No Label
While this promo was originally released as a CDr in a total of only 70 copies, it was re-released in 2005 with a bonus track and some bonus movie clips as well. The re-release was more professional and came in a DVD-slimcase. Thus, the tracks on this promo were those which, a year later, would become Methadrone's first full-length. Methadrone is a unique creation. Despite this there are no major elements that haven't been used before. It's noisy, depressive, loud, droning and rumbling doom metal. Still, for some reason, it doesn't sound quite like anything else I've ever heard. There are no vocals and the riffs tend to repeat themselves just like in most drone bands. Perhaps what sets Methadrone apart from other noise/doom/droners is the powerful melody. It's overwhelming to the point where it feels like the music is pushing you away from the speakers like a physical force, and still it retains a sad melody. I think this is what makes it unique to me, but others may find other apsects that I haven't even thought of. The band is similar to others such as Pelican and 5ive's Continuum Research Project. Even so, I'd advise everyone to listen to a sample of their music before buying. The music isn't that hard to like, but whatever it is that sets it apart also makes it a hard to define taste.	1. Emotionless 2. Retrogression 3. Despondency 4. Ebullient Drift 5. Impurify 6. Transient Release 7. Of Less Emotion Approx. 35 minutes
Reviewed by: Arnstein H. Pettersen