SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ELECTRIC SIX – I SHALL EXTERMINATE EVERYTHING AROUND ME THAT RESTRICTS ME FROM BEING THE MASTER (2026 REMASTER)

ELECTRIC SIX
I SHALL EXTERMINATE EVERYTHING AROUND ME THAT RESTRICTS ME FROM BEING THE MASTER (2026 REMASTER)
METROPOLIS RECORDS

I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me from Being the Master was originally released in 2007 and was Electric Six’s fourth studio album. Electric Six, from Detroit formed in 1996 and continue to be centred around frontman Dick Valentine. Electric Six, over the years, have combined elements of garage rock, new wave, punk, disco and metal with a sense of humour. I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me from Being the Master is no exception. This ‘anniversary’ release adds five, never-before released tracks, recorded during the sessions.

Valentine introduces the album with the short opening track, “It’s Showtime!” “Don’t tell me how to do my job now/It’s showtime” he sings, and it is a wonderful way to grab the listener’s hand and take them on an erratic, exciting, explosive ride. Electric Six is pure energy, and the fact that many of the songs hover around the three-minute mark says a great deal about the band and their style. While they incorporate whatever they feel like into each song, the basis is post-punk rock. They are not purists but rather scan the music world and use what suits them.

For example, “Dance Pattern” sounds like they are channeling Thin Lizzy while at the same time dipping into disco. It is an odd combination that should not work but does. “Sexy Trash” falls into a funk groove (a very rocking funk groove), and then one has the rather amusing “Lucifer Airlines” that would not be out of place on a Kraftwerk inspired album. All of this and much more on one album, and they make it work. Valentine’s vocals throughout hold everything together, but he has the perfect support.

As for the new bonus tracks, their cover of “One” (written by Harry Nilsson but made famous by Three Dog Night) is absolutely brilliant, and a version that Nilsson, no doubt, would have loved. They move from the melancholy of the song and take it into an anger zone. It is brilliant. The demos demonstrate how much work is put into the songs and the remix of “It’s Showtime!” is the perfect way to end the album.

This new expanded version of I Shall Exterminate Everything Around Me That Restricts Me from Being the Master is an excellent opportunity for people to catch up on a brilliant album, and it is a great reason to revisit it. There are so many brilliant songs on it, and the band is tight and full of intense energy. The five bonus tracks are a nice addition and overall, a brilliant re-release

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