DK5600 - Distanza Katrias 5600

I would say that I was less than impressed at first glance when it came to DK5600, the experimental/ambient duo from Italy. When I received their CD, "Distanza Katrias 5600" in the mail, I looked at the front cover and immediately thought, "Boy, this cover sure looks like something you could find on Google images just by typing in the word 'space'." Plus, they do have the whole science fiction sort of angle regarding themselves as being aliens from another planet who speak through music, which I have heard of before. So, upon first look, things didn't seem so positive for these two. 

However, that was before I decided to hit the play button and let the music talk for itself. But, the bad course continued as once I played the intro song to the album, I couldn't help but have that dreadful thought of, "Oh, jeez, this is another dark ambient/drone track just like so many before." However, you could say my thoughts started to turn around when the second track ran its course. 

'Prima Giornata su Katrias' has a pretty normal, space ambient background to it, but as this distorted, effected voice plays on through, I just couldn't help but get lost in the fiction DK5600 has around themselves. 'Masse Estranee' came out with a more hopeful and melancholy sound to it, and 'ATmospheres EXplosibles' slowed down the voice work, offering a deep pitched, multi-layered voice. 

'Suolo Anisotropo' had this sort of horror vibe to it, as if it belonged in one of the films in the "Alien" franchise. I guess the echo placed on the voice as well as this constantly humming, engine sound went along. 

'Volo Retto da Katrias' was pretty much skippable, simmering down to nothing more than a standard drone track with later vocals attached to it. However, 'Rete di Terra' had a much more vibrant and mystical vibe to it than previous entries, making it a terrific song on the album. 

The static noise filter in 'Nanotec' had potential, but otherwise squandered itself with little effects involved throughout. 'Essre Estensilbile Dinamico' was a decent song added onto the collection, even if it was a bit repetitive. 

'Tensione di Contatto' was much darker than previous songs with the vocals sounding a little rough and more evil and the spastic noise that dropped every now and then. I was not a huge fan of 'Riflessione Attiva' as it was just plain boring. And, the final song, 'Bugs Crawling Out of Katrias' showcased the best musical diversity on the album; it changed its course well enough for its three minute run, and didn't feel at all as if it looped. 

Strong suits of DK5600: They have a great lead vocalist who can imitate emotions pretty damned well throughout the various songs they talk in. Weak points: they definitely need to work on their compositions to make sure they don't loop that much, and that way they get more catchy. 

Really, this isn't a bad release. But, its weak points stand out very well, and need to be covered before DK5600 can make more ground. I enjoyed most of the tracks on here, but an album should be one cohesive piece in which the listener can enjoy all it has to offer. 
Jun 05 2015