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Of all the new bands on Electric Tremor, the duo of D. Sahs & Joanna Rein, who previously went under the name of Judge. Dred (so this new name is a definite step in the right direction!) do stand out from the pack somewhat for their decidedly darker, harder take on old-skool EBM which adds an extra something to the well-established style (& at over an hour it's a sight longer as well!!). Indeed, the opening third of this album is most intriguing with 'Cold As Stone', where the duo are joined by one Johan Damm coming across in a most forbidding manner by means of its towering bassline & unrelenting darkness that sets the scene nicely for the furious 'You Suck!' which, despite moving closer to the established old skool sound, impresses through its sheer anger while the harsh vocals of 'Violent Process' as well as the changing tempi, keep the interest levels high. That's not to say that it doesn't eventually fall victim to the malaise that most old skoolers are prone to & with 15 tracks it's likely that only the most dedicated old skool enthusiasts are likely to make it all the way through to the end. It does, at least, reward partial listens with some enjoyable tracks waiting to be found although if they were to add more standout elements such as the mixed male & female vocals that, in unison with some excellent bass work, add a much more memorable edge to the penultimate 'Required To Nothing' & the guitar that pops up on the closing 'Killing Fields (Crusader Mix)' then they'd make their mark by staying true to their old skool roots whilst giving the music wider appeal & I'm sure they wouldn't say no to that!
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