It’s been a while since I had to whip one of these bad boys out, the infamous “I don’t have time for a full review during the Holiday season so this is what I can do and it’ll have to work” AKA the Flash Reviews, or miniviews as I used to call them. Six artists get highlighted today, all of which are pretty damned good releases. Black Magnet, Nuda, Seraphim System, Ex-Hyena, Nightcrawler, and j:dead. Let’s take a quick look.
Nightcrawler : Malevolent Forces : 8 out of 10
Nightcrawler returns to end out the end of the year with an eight-track banger. Six of these tracks are original mixes bookmarked with cinematic intros and outros. What you can expect is the normal Nightcrawler pizazz; creeping synthetic darksynth music that gets under your skin, like the insectoid and paranoia making Corrupted System or the club friendly but still digital-horror blasts found within Resident Nightmares. There’s two additional mixes on the EP of ACID RAIN and R.U.S.H. specifically made for the clubs. So, DJs, Nightcrawler has your back. This is another shining example of dark electronic music done right.
Ex-Hyena : XX Your Love : 8 out of 10.
This is one of those albums where I wish I had more time to go in-depth on it as my favorite dark-electro-space-synth-alien-duo is back in full form. Their fourth album is one of their best combining everything that I love about them into one smooth package; ethereal dual vox battling a blend of creepy, whispered higher pitched vox and deeper, unsettling chords. It’s like if Daft Punk went through a warp-hole and came out even odder than they already are. From lighter synthpop melodies as seen on the intro single Dark Lights to slightly punchier, EBM influenced beats on Edge of Mirrors, there’s something to love on here in all forms. Oh, and that artwork is amazing.
Seraphim System : Brood of Vipers : 7.5 out of 10.
Seraphim System is back with a brand-new album tackling techno full force. But if you know and love what Seraphim System does than you’re gonna know it’s not just house techno but a full on sonic assault. They used the word BRUTAL to describe their album and we’re all for that. A bit of gabber mixed with the industrial elements that have made Seraphim System, well, Seraphim System since the start. I do wish a few of the beats were a bit more distinct from one another as I feel as if one to many punchy beats sound like one another straight off the get go. Even then I can see tracks such as THE THAUMATURGE breaking through onto our Industrial Workouts for Industrial People playlist. Well done.
j:dead : Pressure : 7 out of 10
j:dead, like many other artists in his field, has decided to launch a twelve-month campaign where he releases a single each month. Partnering with Infacted Recordings once again the first in this year-long anthology is Pressure. Half the song is a melodic, somewhat cinematic single with powerful vocals while the second half transforms into a pure synthpop dancefloor track. It’s fun, for sure, and the structure of the track is interesting. But I don’t think the lengthened first half works as well as I’d hoped; it’s like the song is stuck in an intro for too long. It sounds good, but bores. Once the dancefloor beat hits it’s a lot better and becomes addicting. Not a bad start to twelve months of singles.
Nuda : Trigger : 7.5 out of 10
Darkwave / industrial / Seattle. Three terms that I keep seeing that seem to be making Seattle one of the go-to places for emerging industrial music, and in that turf lies solo-artist Nuda. This remix compilation packs a pretty powerful punch featuring a few mainstays such as Sirus, genCAB, and AVGMENT to say the very least. But my favorite remix comes from the artist herself who remixes the original single into a rougher, industrial metal bout. As always, remix compilations have hits and misses and tend to bore if you listen to them straight through. But you’ll find a few hidden gems in here.
Black Magnet : Megamantra : 8.5 out of 10
Another slamming, sonic industrial metal onslaught from one of Oklahoma’s finest. Not that there’s many industrial metal bands slamming out of Oklahoma as far as I’m concerned; then again maybe I’m wrong and I just haven’t met all that many of them. I’ve had this vinyl sitting next to me for a few months and it’s disappointing to say I don’t have the time for a full review. Regardless, I can do my best here. I heard Endless when it first came out and it nearly blew my pants off and has since become my noisy companion when I’m working out. The album is a thrill ride from start to finish with moments of melodic brilliance as seen on the likes of Coming Back Again. Highly recommended.
