Feel XEX's pain.
The Idaho Statesman
By Michael Deeds

         XEX takes its heavy metal seriously - maybe a little too seriously.  XEX isn't even a word, "it's a symbol that is as unique as our music," the Boise trio claims.  Whatever the case, "Anything Goes" is an apt title for what amounts to an ambitious alternative-metal therapy session.  The CD's apocalyptic, spoken-word intro conjures up laughable images of Motley Crue's "Shout at the Devil."    But afterward, XEX blends precise, minimalist bass lines and drumming with tortured, armored-saint vocals ("You will bow down before me!) and massively processed, detuned guitar chords, XEX tells a melodramatic lyrical tale (complete with spooky echoes), executes quirky ax gear-shifts (from acoustic to skull-compressing) and sneaks in shreddin' solos.  Even when XEX is laughing at itself - check out "Don't Tell William," a fist-waving adaptation of William Tell's famed overture - the group delivers with utter density.  "Anything Goes" is dark, deliberate and anvil-heavy, leaving you fatigued, as if you've taken sledgehammer shots to both shoulders.  Feel XEX's pain.
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