Memoirs of a Pain Junkie |2006, Anti-Social Records|

1. Necrotic, 2. Chainsaw, 3. Bloodworm, 4. Ultraviolence, 5. Shoot'em Up, 6. Bleed, 7. The Snake Pit, 8. Ossuary 13, 9. Pain Junkie

Betty X is a Seattle based project kept active by its founder Zoe Kaylor, known previously from Salon Betty, but also her guest appearances with Pigface and Sheep On Drugs (on their 'Machine Sex' CD).

This album takes an important place in a list of all time industrial metal albums. There's a significant influence of Ministry coming out of guitar riffs mostly. For instance "Snakepit" sounds to me as the best song on the album thanks to looped guitars fusion, some Turkish or Arabian-like melodies in the background, aggressive vocals or just several of spoken lyrics interlaced. Plus a simple and intensive beat. What more do you need to enjoy an industrial metal orientated album? Well, Betty X offers more, however the rest of the songs aren't that much simple like that one.
It should be mentioned there's a guest appearance of Martin Atkins (Pigface) in "Shoot'em U"p remix as well as Chris Seibold on guitars, a founder of an industrial rock act Hate Dept. and a member of Pigface for a while too. Dynamics of the song brings a trace of their works the best and so the fans of Atkins' projects will easily recognize who worked over this track.

The title song Pain Junkie based on aggressive guitar riffs and seemingly Betty X leader's biographic entries sounds really good to me as well. It's very dynamic and predatory.
Other songs are a mixture of different music styles, mostly industrial metal and digital hardcore. There are some bands coming on my mind while listening to "Ultraviolence", Bleed, Necrotic so if you want me to compare there are Rabbit Junk and Cyanotic for the most part.

Betty X has followed a refreshed version of industrial metal style, still based on low tuned and predatory guitar riffs with dynamical drum beats but also some other sound influences grabbed from let's say digital hardcore, punk or new wave music.
Zoe's vocals happens swashbuckling that's why reminds me Merrill Nisker's from Peaches or Lucia Cifarelli's (KMFDM) voices sometime.
Zoe is one of those not many female vocalists who makes a use of her voice effectively for this heavy but still industrialized music.

The newest CD by Betty X with a working title 'Religious Reich' is planned for 2009 so that it may be yet another interesting release of the band. Betty X has been seemingly evolving with every new album. Fabryka is looking forward to the new one! (NINa)

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