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NON

Might! (1995 CD STUMM 139) is the latest album from the infamous Boyd Rice's Non. According to the sleeve, the lyrics to this CD are taken from a book by 'Ragnar Redbeard' called Might Is Right, and from what I can gather, it is certainly not about pacifism!

Throughout this brief (36-minute) CD the words are spoken. At first I felt it seemed a bit like the American bloke from Open University, but when I listened to what was being said, that view soon changed. In short, it is about brute force, power and survival of the fittest, and at times it all seems pretty frightening.

Musically it is mainly high-pitched, powerful keyboard rumblings and effects. That's with the exception of 'The Immolation Man', a powerful hypnotic instrumental with jangly acoustic guitar throughout. This, for me, is a very refreshing break, as is 'Great Destroyers', the last of the 12 tracks, which has the scraping of a sword accompanied by a drum beat which until then has been pretty much absent.

You definitely have to be in the mood for this CD or it just doesn't work as I discovered on first hearing. But with more exposure and the right mood it does tend to grow on you. Oh, and the 'No Nirvana' track is not about Kurt Cobain!

Might! is on Mute Records, 429 Harrow Road, London W10 4RE.

JOHN MARSHALL - 24 April 1996