| Artist |
| Pail |
| Title |
| Faith In The Void |
| Format/Cat |
| CD |
| Label |
| Caustic Records |
| Style |
| EBM |
| Date of review |
| 20th December 2011 |
| Reviewer |
| Carl Jenkinson |
| Rating |
| 7/10 |
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Hard-Wired EBM Reviews |
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| Home | |
| Review ratings: | |
| 1. Avoid | 6. Not Bad |
| 2. Poor | 7. Good |
| 3. Weak | 8. Very Good |
| 4. Worth The Effort | 9. Excellent |
| 5. Shows Promise | 10. Must Have |
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Yes, it's electronic, yes, I guess it will be labeled as EBM (for the sake of convenience if nothing else!) but, no, you aren't likely to be hearing this on any dancefloors anytime soon. That's because it's not an album filled with hits ot instantly catchy songs, more a solidly enjoyable album of pretty long tracks (six minutes or more being the norm here) that sees Manix S. (who also runs the Caustic label) again doing his bit to Spanish electro on the map on this, his third album. Pail's music does resemble earlier FLA (the vocals certainly resemble Bill Leeb on a number of occasions) albeit with a more modern outlook but is more closely related to acts such as Tau Factor or Cylab in that there aren't any likely 'hits' to be found in here, even the most instantly memorable number, 'Planet Prison' & the most danceable, the lively 'Ingeneria Del Consemiento' not quite hitting the mark in that respect, partly because it seems to take ages to get going (although there's nothing wrong with either track &, in the latter case at least, it's possible a remixer could make the most of the potential there is) & you're not likely to go away humming any tunes from it once it's finished either but, somehow, it just draws you in, possibly giving the album greater longevity & providing a satisfying listening experience that will have you coming back to it again & again. That's not to say there isn't plenty going on here as the album is full of good ideas, foremost among them the acoustic guitar work that forms the basis of 'Silence', evoking the artist's homeland & providing a smart contrast to the virtually non-stop synthetics that are the album's hallmark, the track laying a nice foundation in massed melodics & mid-paced rhythms before transforming into a robust, pacey number. Similarly some gritty guitar riffs add to the raw feel of 'The First Words', working well with the almost funky mid-paced rhythms & vocoder-style voices; nor it is lacking in dynamics as, apart from the examples already mentioned 'Energy Bodies' motors along in fine style whilst the ever inventive melodic work, which makes its mark throughout & is really what this album is all about, again demonstrates Manix's talent. | |||||||||||||||||||
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American label Electro Aggression Records, under the leadership of Nader Moumneh is dedicated to keeping the old school flame burning & so this elaborately-presented, 4-CD, 74-track box set, 5 years in the making, is a real labour of love. The sleeve notes make it clear that the concept of 'authenticity' is what this label is all about & that, in the label's opinion, it's only in the old school EBM, which covers disc one & dark electro styles, which can be found on disc two while discs three & four have a mixture of both, where this will be found. The first disc, in particular, makes no concessions towards variety of any kind, this is 20 tracks of pure old school EBM from bands, both old & new, who obviously feel that the old school style is THE only way to go. Most of them will probably only be familiar to real old school lovers, apart possibly from Serpents (who I always thought were a goth band!!), Ionic Vision, Lescure 13, who pay homage to fellow old school legends Poupee Fabrikk with their cover of 'Destruktor' &, of course, Orange Sector, who show their experience on 'Noise (head Mix)' with a track that somehow has that extra panache that the others don't quite possess. Having said that EkoBrottsMyndigheten provide another highlight in the form of 'Get Yours Fists Up', a typically raw, robust offering. Other artists include Oldschool Union, Presto Servant, Pact Of Warsaw & Synaptik Defect but, really, a complete run through of this disc is superfluous as, if you like old school EBM then you'll love this with a passion, it really is as simple as that. That the 'authentic dark electro' of disc two has a slightly less defined remit works in its favour somewhat as there is more room for a more personal approach, starting with Terminal State who should appeal to FLA lovers while Second Disease show their worth on 'Ecastatik' which, thanks to a varied rhythmic base, changes tempo & focus throughout its duration. There are a number of other acts present who were doing the rounds years ago but have been largely forgotten about of late (which could well be another reason behind their inclusion, I'm guessing), among them Brain Leisure & Trial while Severe Illusion opt for a more experimental, cold approach on 'My Car Is Burning In Hell'. Proving that this isn't just a retrospective list, the under-rated current acts IC434 & Object both offer enjoyable cuts, the latter's offering boding well for his imminent new album while Amnistia's 'Pretended' should likewise do their profile no harm whatsoever! The remaining two discs continue in more or less the same vein with a mixture of both styles being present & correct throughout with the old guard very much in the ascendancy, whether it's the dark electro stylings of Splatter Squall, kAlte fArben & Breathe, the mix of dark moods & pacey rhythms employed by yelworC, the expressive minimalism of Haujobb, Sleepwalk's impressive mix of percussive effects & melodic colouring or the pure old school EBM of Armageddon Dildos, Kraft, U,M,M., Stin Scatzor & Digital Factor, all your old school bases are covered while a handful of newer bands such as A.D.A.C & another under-rated band in the shape of Autofadeh keep the flame burning. Anyone who still holds a place in their heart for labels such as Machinery & Celtic Circle, whose importance way back when is underlined by the expertise shown by their old acts Page 12, who make sure the whole thing goes out on a hight note & Amgod, will no doubt find much to take them back in time while any Johnny Come Latelys who want to hear how they used to do electro before these 'future-pop' & 'hellektro' mobs came stomping through the door will no doubt find this an intriguing & educational listen. Indeed, it's a fair bet that, no matter how long you've been listening to electronic music or however much of an expert you consider yourself to be, you'll discover a good number of bands you've never heard of before, such is the compilation's commitment to exposing the obscure alongside the more well-known. To criticise it for any lack of variety is, of course, to miss the point entirely, this does what it sets out to do in no uncertain terms, in fact the only criticism that could be levelled at it is that the colour scheme makes the titles on the back cover a right sod to read under artificial light!! | |||||||||||||||||||
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Since putting the superior L'ame Imortelle on a (hopefully temporary) hiatus, Thomas Rainer has gone from strength to strength with Nachtmahr, quickly picking up a devoted following & going down a storm on stage throughout Europe. And, on one level at least, it's not hard to see why as it's catchy, pounding & made for the dancefloor. The problems for this style of electro usually start when at home as, for the most part, it just doesn't have the depth to make it a viable proposition in this regard & although this third Nachtmahr album does take some notable steps to correct this with some memorable riffs cropping up during the instrumental 'Tanz, Major' which is sure to become one of the year's top floorfillers, the closing 'Trockenficken' & 'Can You Feel The Beat' which is a fair bit darker than the title might lead you to believe, a lot of this good work is then undone by the fact that the pounding rhythms often drown out the more melodic elements, particularly during 'Rache' which could have been a nicely reflective number but instead ends up sounding rather fragile! For all that, it's certain to prove a staple in the clubs but if there were only more tracks such as ''Rise And Fall' which is the one track where all the elements really gel together (that this is the first track to feature English lyrics actually helps greatly in this respect!), then we'd be looking at a much more versatile release. As it is, the oddly balanced production means it lacks a certain something when listened to away from clubs or live gigs; I just hope he gets back to work with L'Ame Immortelle soon!! | |||||||||||||||||||
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This Spanish solo act's first album Paradise Under Fire, released in 2009 was a typical release from a band trying to ape Suicide Commando but failing to emulate the same level of power or dynamics so it's a blast to see them making many great strides forward on this follow-up, sticking less slavishly to the established EBM template & reaping the rewards as a result. That's not to say they've done anything radically new or different but as soon as the surprisingly melodic chorus of the opening 'I Have Killed A Man', which provides an almost future-pop level of accessability against the harsher chorus, kicks in then it becomes apparent that this is an album that at least has the ability to make you sit up & listen. It helps greatly that Sandro Veras' vocals aren't half bad, managing, during the chorus of the punchy 'Post-Modern/Post-Human' & 'A New Beginning' to equal Steve Naghavi in terms of a smooth delivery while further proving their worth during the equally accessible chorus that again contrasts the harsher verses on 'Via Negativa' & again during the muscular 'Unbreakable Will', the chorus of which is so anthemic that any 'future pop' heroes wouldn't be ashamed to put their name to it! It's this mix of the melodic & the harsh that makes it so instantly memorable, although even when proceedings do veer towards the more established 'hellektro' styles, as they do during 'Instinto Homicida' & 'Smashing White Pills', where their Suicide Commando influence is more to the fore, then the results are still impressive while the guitar samples that form the basis of 'High Speed Collision' show that the band are starting to experiment slightly with the palette of sounds available to them & while it's probably too complexly-layered to be a serious dancefloor contender its quality cannot be denied. Elsewhere it's good to see them tapping into the more atmospheric side of dark electro during 'Voices' which eschews any rhythms in favour of a intensely dark melodic musical tapestry, again nothing startlingly out of the ordinary but it's just thoughtful touches like that, along with the other strongpoints mentioned elsewhere, that make this an album worth seeking out. | |||||||||||||||||||
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I've always thought of Decoded Feedback as one of those bands who, despite never being the darlings of the electro scene enrich it just by their presence. Well, I might have to revise that opinion a bit now as, with this latest barnstorming album, they totally deserve to be everyone's darlings as this, their first release on Dependent, is easily their most powerful, their most expressive & their most epic release to date & their best ever by some margin, the full-sounding melodics & riffs being carried along by rhythms that build up a feeling of unstoppability, like an express train heading towards you at full speed. For proof of this just lend an ear to the superb opener 'Silent Killer' where the cry of 'come onnnn' acts as a clarion call to get you blood pumping through your veins & prepare to dance your arses off! And once you've heard this blockbusting number that totally belies its title in being an infectious, dynamic opener with its bulldozing beats & epic chords then that's exactly what you'll be doing; believe me, openers don't come much better than this! There are plenty more treats to be had, though, as some guitar-like riffs (which may be sampler or could be real, I just don't know!) being some additional grit to the following 'Eternity Falls' & 'Death Control' where the feeling of doom that are borne by the spooky kids voice samples & dark chords make for a nice contrast against the full-on leads that once again, make their presence felt. Once this premise is established the duo do stick fairly closely to it but tracks such as 'Translucent', the closing 'Demons' & the utterly superb 'Shelter Me' all have much to offer, the latter proving to be probably the best track they've ever written as Marco's vocals match the intense mood of the massed melodics & driving rhythms while the fact that 'Dark Reflections' bears a resemblance to Rotersand's Merging Oceans actually works in its favour, after all, if it can even be mentioned in the same breath then that can't be bad, can it? Not that this is in any way copyist, this well-respected duo follow their own path & have unleashed an album that fits the bill for club adoration & home listening, too. | |||||||||||||||||||
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If I was an American fan of this Canadian band, I'd be almightily ticked off about now. You see, the European version of their latest EP, which has been released by Danse Macabre, contains three extra tracks which, just to add insult to injury, are far more inventive & show them flexing their creative muscle far more readily than the pleasant synthpop on the US version. That's not to say that there's anything wrong with the US tracks as they do have a nice 80s synthpop/new wave vibe going on & while the vocals are at times not quite 100% (most notably on the opening 'Calm The Weather') the mix of pitch-bending synth leads mixed with some raunchy guitar riffs gives 'Syren', where Emily takes over on vocal duties, a feel not unlike Japan while the authentic-sounding percussion of 'Harmless Fun' sees them incorporating more adventurous touches into their poppy sound. For all that, though, you'll really not want to miss out on the extra material as 'Better Believe This' is a nice laidback slice of electronica while the howling guitars & deep bass notes that give "Ego Games' a lo-fi almost industrial feel, make for another no-to-be-missed offering before 'Pick Up' rounds things off with another synthpop offering with Emily's vocals again making their mark. So while there's nothing actually wrong with the North American version it's a far better bet to get the European one, after all, even if you're paying more for it you'll be getting more good music for your money! | |||||||||||||||||||
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For many, PB:W were the surprise package at last year's Infest &, while I've not heard any of their previous releases (& there are a few) this latest album from Sven 'Dust Of Basement' Wolff & Lance Murdock mixes some excellent dancey electro numbers with relatively short industrial/electronica interludes that mix rhythms & abstract effects with radio samples, the latter being not that dissimilar in spirit to what Kraftwerk were doing way back in 1975!! These contribute towards the impressive-looking 19-track listing & do have some good ideas going for them such as the soaring chords that grace the closing 'Abbau' or the spoken voice of 'Die Walze' while 'Arbeit An Der Oberleitung' (these titles don't exactly trip off the tongue, do they?) is a nicely atmospheric number; however, due to their brevity, they really only end up as fillers between the good tracks & it's these more accessable numbers that provide the highlights, assisted by the array of fine vocalists that the duo have enlisted, the men doing the dancier tracks, the women the slower ones. Among the latter are Julia Beyer who turns in a typical & appropriately sultry perfomance on 'Sun After The Rain', Nadine Seltzer, who similarly adds a touch of class to the moving 'My Mountain' & was responsible for the main melody too & Antje Schulz whose slightly more girlish style proves effective enough on 'Dreh Mir Die Zeit Zuruck' while Antje Deckmann's classy vocals contribute towards making 'Voyage' the excellent piece it is, moving & soothing with lyrics based on a poem by Baudelaire, now that's class for you!! On the male side Andre Hartung's recognisable style works well on the poppy 'Das Kreftfeld', which sits in the same rhythmically strong poppy style he's explored with Sero. Overdose & the slightly more laidback approach of 'Never Neverland', certain elements of which are slightly reminiscent of the dreamier end of 90s house. Similarly, Stefan Leuckert proves his worth on the infectiously catchy '"Fehler 404' while, as the album reaches towards its climax, Alex 'Painbastard' Pitzinger's harsher voice gives the already rugged 'Abrissbude' some extra zing. All in all, then, this is a fine album & while the shorter numbers don't quite hit the spot there's still enough good stuff to make this a worthwhile purchase. | |||||||||||||||||||
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The title of this latest EP/DVD from PS & Jinxy is an acronym for 'Post Apolcalyptic Nude Industrial Corps'!, hmmm, I think I prefer the word the letters make up, myself!!Still, you can't go wrong with these two as they've synthesised the perfect electro style that is minimalistic but never boring, always hard hitting but infectious as hell & wearing a cheeky smile on its face! The new tracks on offer here don't disappoint one iota & if you loved their previous works then you'll go a bundle on these, starting with 'Anguish' which showcases their darker side but is as catchy as ever although the muscular 'Every Day We Die' is even better with PS & Jinxy combining to excellent effect on the vocals while the appropriately triumphant mood of 'Victorious' is equally impossible to resist as it motors along with gusto to spare & while 'Panictown' might initially seem to be restrained in comparison the sequencing here make this another excellent piece that, once heard, you won't soon forget! It's true to say that it is pretty obvious who you're listening to here but SHY straddle the fine line between repetition & playing to your strengths with ease any one of these tracks would be worth the price of admission alone. The rest of the disc is made up of remixes of 'Hexenpolizei' (the videoclip to the original of which, along with 'Rocket Heart', can be found on the accompanying DVD) which are OK & should find a good deal of club favour but lack the edge of the originals, being workaday floorfillers when the original can do that job much more successfully, thank you, & 'Z.O.M.B.I.E.', both of which come nowhere near the excellence of the original (although, admittedly, that would be asking a lot of any band!), only the atmospheric parts of the Ext!ze mix being worthy of note. All of which leaves the fun closer 'The Bonus 3.0' which is really funny, just the tonic to put a smile on your face! | |||||||||||||||||||
