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Archived Reviews
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Siva Six's debut Rise New Flesh was good but nothing could have prepared me for the excellent follow-up that the Italian duo of Z & Noid have come up with. This is a quite superb dark EBM album that should find a home on any self-respecting dancefloor but, more than this, it's a superbly atmospheric album as well with expertly-realised dark melodics being a constant feature of the album, making an important contribution to both the slower & faster tracks as well as the excellent instrumentals, of which "Dark Night Of The Soul" is the pick of the bunch. All of which means this hits the spot in any environment, starting with the fanfare-like effects that crop up on the opening "See The Six" & the almost Wagerian orchestral effects that add an additional majestic element to "The Seal" both proving that the duo are intent upon taking the typical EBM styles beyond mere dancefloor fodder, injecting their dark sound with an almost darkwave-like edge. "Line In...Line Down" embodies this approach most clearly, alternating between techno-like rhythmic sections & darkly atmospheric sonic tapestries that are embellished by barely audible choirs & more triumphant fanfares before building into one intense climax. But if it's power you're after just check out such tracks as "Her Eyes Black" where the fractured verses build up a potent head of steam for the superb chorus or "Mister" where some effective breakbeats add another furious edge to the sonic maelstrom. Likewise "Pig" surges with an urgency & intensity that defies you not to become intwined in its spell while the forbidding mood & slow, unstoppable rhythms that grace "Now It's Dark" even sees them giving Agonoize a run for their money! As the album nears its end "Deep Black Will" provides another excellent slice of EBM with its almost anthemic chorus very mch to the fore although if the closing instrumental "Dawn Revelation" lightens the mood at all (as the titles suggests it might) then it's not especially noticeable, the dark overtones remaining very much in evidence! All of which means that this is nothing less than a surefire winner although they could have undone all that good work with some of the voice samples they use with Dark Vader & a Dalek both clearly audible at times. The latter could always be an attempt at humour, I guess but what's with that 'the other day upon the stair/I met a man who wasn't there' nonsense on "Now It's Dark"? That's just embarrassing!! They really do need to be careful with this sort of thing as it could so easily go pear-shaped although, on a brighter note, that they can still turn in such a stunning album speaks volumes about the quality of the music & I for one can't wait to see them at next year's Dark City. |
