Dave Chamberlain

A stranger bill there could not be. Spitting stuttered lyrics over chicken-scratched beats and esoteric noise, New Jersey's Dälek shares common ground with everyone from DJ Spooky to Techno Animal. The band's second full-length, "From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots" (Ipecac), acts like an extension to the illbient DJ scene that sprang up in NYC during the mid-nineties. Though Dälek the MC drops complex and often uncomfortable rhymes that lend equal time to Pablo Neruda, Jack Kerouac and urban grime through a gravelly flow, producer Oktopus and DJ Still deserve no less credit. Outside of the New Jack, jeep-bumping bass, very little remains predictable throughout Dälek's tracks; whether integrating Spanish-language dubs from a radio show or creating an apocalyptic soundtrack awash in the edgy and monotone, Oktopus and Still create a dark, eerie landscape for Dälek to navigate with his abstract intentions. It's underground hip-hop at its most pure. So who should open for Dälek? A metal band, naturally. Even though Dälek's Ipecac affiliation has found them on stage with the likes of Tomahawk and Fantomas, opener Bad Wizard doesn't rock through such an experimental lens as those bands. BW's not-yet-released debut on Tee Pee Records, "Sophisticated Mouth," sounds like a cross between shit-kickin' Southern riff rock and "High Voltage"-era AC/DC. There's worse loud rock out there--a cover of Uriah Heep's grinding, driving "Love Machine" (complete with organ) adds vitality. Unfortunately for fans of Dälek, who won't likely have an appetite for scumbag denim-metal, there's much better loud rock out there, too. Regardless, fans with broad tastes should love this night.

Dälek and Bad Wizard play August 15 at the Empty Bottle, 1035 North Western, (773)276-3600. (2002-08-14)

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