$16.00
Pesteg Dred
Years of Struggle Against the Lies, the Stupidity and the Cowardice
Pesteg Dred, a trio of teenagers from Denmark made up of Martin Hall (Ballet Mécanique, Under For, Before), Per Hendrichsen (Dialogue, Uté-Va) and vocalist Inge Shannon, who later starred in Hall’s project SS-Say. Their first and only album, Years of Struggle Against the Lies, the Stupidity and the Cowardice was written, recorded and produced during a weekend in December 1981. Unable to pay for the recording session, the master tapes were confiscated and the album remained unreleased until the summer of 1985 where it was issued as a bonus cassette with the Danish art magazine Atlas.
The band combines dark rumbling basslines with austere guitar shrieks and the occasional cello/violin/autoharp to create the perfect tension of soft/loud synthesized post punk. But what steals the spotlight of Martin Hall’s well-crafted production are the dynamic vocals of Inge Shannon who ranges from cold Teutonic monotone to shrill cacophony at times bringing to mind Nico, Xmal Deutschland, Bettina Koster of Malaria! or Simona Buja from Kirlian Camera. This landmark album could have fit perfectly on the 4AD or Factory Records roster alongside A Certain Ratio, Bauhaus or Joy Division.