Cygnosic - Fallen

After the intent of the last 3 years has revealed itself, I dare you, the audience to deny the following :

There are 5, maybe 6 labels that have a monopoly over the Dark Electro market. This may seem like a powerful statement, but you look at the 20 best releases from the last 3 years, and you'll see the same labels over and over again. Yes, you can attribute this to a small market, but the demand seems stronger than ever. What I am getting at, is that you can recognise trademarks of quality with greater ease than ever before...

You could ask several connoisseurs of the Dark Electro scene what their thoughts were when hearing that Cygnosic was releasing a second album, and universally, the outcome was something akin to finding a Gold Coin in your septic tank.

So the burning question here is, quite simply, "Is it better than 'A Deity In Pain' "?. First, I invite you to look back to the "One Step Forward" taster EP released earlier this year, featuring (of course), 'One Step Forward' - track 3 on here. It got rave reviews, and the exclusive tracks and remixes were of a similar calibre.

"Fallen" opens with 'As We Approach The End' - a track that's been on my Android playlist since it first hit my speaker system. Vocally, Georg is in the comfortable place he's always been, sitting between established and confident. The synth on here bounces with enough melody to render Cygnosic of high appeal to both fans of harsh electro, and melodic EBM.

My first listen of this drew the summary that the title track 'The Fallen' was a masterpiece in the making. I'm sticking to my guns on this one - my initial feelings on a track often change, and for the consistency to have remained unwavering and resolute is a testament to the musical aptitude of Georg Psaroudakis.
One has to be careful in elevating an artist to such dizzying heights to remember that they, in turn, are always learning, much as we are as reviewers, and I have to stress that it is always possible for Georg to improve.

There are times on "Fallen" that I feel it won't be as easy for listeners to immediately differentiate between certain tracks as it would be for artists such as Detroit Diesel and Die Sektor. Who cares if it sounds similar at times, when to the outside world, the "Sheeple" as some call them, this entire genre is just a wall of noise anyway.

As we travel through the album, the tracks start to raise a fist of their own, with 'Decide' being very melodic indeed, 'Realize' having something of an epic Intro, and you can make mental notes on each until your hearts content.

Summarising the album with a number of remixes - as always, featuring some of the most influential names out there, I think the message from Cygnosic was simple, and penetrating :
'I'm Back'.

I'm not going to recommend a particular remix, as choosing between X-Fusion, C-Lekktor, fellow Greek acts Siva Six and PreEmptive Strike 0.1 is like choosing between your favourite Drinks. Even the remix by the mysterious Dj Liquix is of great interest.

My parting thoughts on "Fallen" are all positive, and although I do feel people who expected a significant change from the first CD may not find the evolution to their standards, Cygnosic has evolved, and this album is better. Just don't expect the renaissance. It isn't needed here. Aug 27 2011