Tactical Module - Before Crisis

Following up on 2013's well received Into Exile, Michael Davis, otherwise known by his artist name Tactical Module, will be unleashing his latest EP Before Crisis on the final day of the year. Cracking out five brand new tracks, one track that was previously released on the Resurrection EP, and three remixes from Cease2Xist, Ruinizer, and Dali.

Out Of Exile is the first track to come off the album, and serves as a brisk but hearty introductory note to the album. It definitely scopes out the trademark sound that became established with Into Exile, that's for sure, and it takes its time building up, allowing me to get to know and love it through and through. Simple, soft, but well executed.

Poison Within brought a bit of metal influences along with it, the guitar serving as a main attraction throughout the duration of the song. The deep pitched synth, however subtle it may have been, hits really well and drives the song even further. The drum'n'bass works well together with the rest of the song, and where I previously found problems with TM struggling to fuse all his sounds together in harmony, I now notice that everything plays along nicely. I suppose the only area that could use some work would be the vocals; whereas the instrumentation and electronic work sounds very well on their own, the vocals have a bit of a muddy presentation to them, and sort of throw off the overall feel of the song.

Utilizing much of the same sounds as the previous song but mixing them to create a new experience, There is a heavier synth presence in this track, as well as drum'n'bass I'd say. The vocals still have that same sound to them, but it's forgivable altogether.

To the Skies of Oblivion hit a little harder with a steady and healthy dose of bass coming in on a constant basis. However, this was the track from the prior Resurrection EP. Even though it does come with a new coat of paint, a sort of redux version, the evolution from where TM once was to where he is now is noticeable.

Assemble came in next, and sounded pretty decent. More unique than previous efforts, though some sounds are still recycled, the vocal delivery changed up from just angered shouting to more or less rhythmic lyricism. And it fit in swell with the beat. The muddy sound that I discussed earlier still didn't necessarily leave, but, hell, I didn't really much care with this song.

And, with a final effort, What Lies Beneath didn't necessarily match the vocals to the beat as well as previous songs, but the instrumentation, though once more sounding fairly recycled, wasn't half bad.

And then it was remix time. First off, Cease2Xist remixed Assemble, contributing far more electronics to the track, and offering up a more dance worthy song. The track also knew how to move from one sound to the next, showing off one movement after the next in free-flow form. It was a good remix. Dali's remix of the same song didn't necessarily meet expectations to the original track nor the previous remix, but it offered something new. I wouldn't go so far to say that I would crank this in my ears again, but it served its purpose well.

Ruinizer theatrical build up with Before Crisis eventually landed us right in the middle of an all out electronic chaotic love note. Harsh and brutal, the additional vocals that backed up the original was a nice touch, and every single note that rang in the song to make it just that much more evoking were grand.

And there we have TM's latest release, all summed up through my thoughts. His instrumentation is fantastic; he's able to craft catchy beats that can alter between soothing synths and engaging and bashing harsh electronic work. However, at points I felt the songs were just recycling sounds that were used in other tracks on the album, which led to some dull moments. The vocals were sometimes off, but when they were placed well enough, they were able to catch onto the beat in a grand manner. They still need some cleaning up in my opinion just to sound more professional. And, the added on remixes were swell, even if Dali's didn't quite match up to the others.

And, all in all, I had my fun with this release. It has its flaws, and didn't quite match the ferocity I found with his last full length album, but it still managed to create something that the artist loves and cares for. And that's what really matters. Before Crisis is available for pre-order at this moment, at a cheap price, too. So, be a doll and go get it. Nov 11 2014