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Archived Reviews
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This debut album from Life Cried follows the well-worn dark EBM path that has, in the recent past, been trod by the likes of Hocico, Psyclon Nine (of whose Indri album I was reminded more than once!) & many others. It's fair to say, then, that this is far from being the most original-sounding album you'll ever hear (even down to the titles!) as Chris, AKA Death Condition, borrows literally from the above mentioned names to create his sound. That's not to say that it hasn't got plenty going in its favour, though, as the highly bombastic feel that permeates the album as a whole (& the rhythms in particular) certainly lifts this album above many of its peers & gives each track an important boost & mixing well with the dark melodics & the essential effected voice of the mid-paced "Guardian" & "Hallowed Be Thy Name", together making for an almost juggernautic maelstrom while the faster "Living Hell" & "Sacrilege", where the greater melodic elements only serve to emphasise the inherent intensity, similarly benefit to produce an almost boneshaking experience. In terms of power this album is second to none, being mixed so tightly that there's barely room to breathe & with such clever touches as the fat bassline that contributes towards the explosive climax of "We Are Decay" & the nightmarish psychadelia which renders "Rage (Dying Existence)" almost on a par with Hocico's finest works, then you've definately got a superior EBM experience on your hands. As proof of this the manner in which the closing "Darkest Eyes" mixes the by now characteristically thunderous rhythms with a more poignant & expansive melodic mood, thus giving the music still greater emotive force, is little short of masterful, proving that this is one EBM artist who has the ability to overtake many of his peers & make his name as a top-class musician. All he really needs to do now is to make his music even more unique & unmistakeably his own & then the sky's surely the limit. Carl Jenkinson |
