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Archived Reviews
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Given that this second album from Spanish dark electro act Dioxyde has been released on Johan Van Roy's Noise Terror label (a subdivision of Dependent) & that Van Roy himself contributes guest vocals on two tracks you don't exactly have to be Einstein to work out what this is going to be all about, do you? Of course, Marco Calvo is hardly the first artist to wear his influences so clearly on his sleeve although he takes it further than most to the extent that you could almost be listening to an unreleased SC album. On the plus side, Calvo's ability to conjure such effectively dark & atmospheric soundscapes whilst singing in either his native Spanish, English or German, gives the album an almost epic feel which proves to be its main asset throughout, combining expertly with the hard rhythms which provide all the power you could ever wish for, particularly on such slower tracks as "Cae La Presion" & "Money Trail" which are blessed by that all-important full-blooded feel while the stand out track that is the excellent "11M" benefits from a combination of superbly dark melodic work & excellent sequencing that makes this one of those tracks that just stands out above the rest. The sleevenotes refer to an accident of some kind so it's fair to say that tracks such as "Morphine" are a prime case of an artist walking the walk rather than talking the talk although I hope for his sake he's never had to experience the feelings that are evoked by the excellent instrumental "Aftermath" as the mood here is darker still, thus evoking the music's descriptive qualities to the max. This doubtless also accounts for the anguished voice that prefaces the affecting & somewhat harrowing opener "Helpless (Intro Mission)". That it doesn't sound like a film sample lends it a much greater intimacy, as if you are truly witnessing someone's suffering while the dark musical tone that follows sets the scene for the album as a whole. The following "Words Of Judas", featuring Van Roy, gets proceedings off in earnest &, as far as 'Horror Electro' goes, has everything you could need with hooks aplenty & even if the silent interludes that crop up throughout sometimes seem to deprive the music of its impetus this is more than compensated by the contrast they bring to the uncompromising mood, thus emphasising them all the more. As you might have gathered this isn't an album packed full of dancefloor fillers although Van Roy's other collaborative offering "Invasive Therapy" should do the trick in this respect as should the remixes by Tactical Sekt, Agonoize & Fiendflug (not exactly pushing the envelope here, are they?) as the cream of dark electro welcome this talented musician into their ranks while Van Roy's patronage will hopefully turn all electro fans onto the fact that here is another talented musician with an album that's well worth discovering. |
