Andro-Dioxin - Dioxin City

The goal of Engraved Ritual was to supply the populace with a slow, steady, and diverse mix of the greatest sounding Dark Electro bands from the Latin area. Why not? There's hundreds of Hocico clones out there, and some of them are really, really good. Andro-Dioxin is the first act to have been released on ER, and this is in fact a re-release of the mp3 demo album.

The demo album has a few differences; ('Elektrozombiegirl' a cover of 'Hellraiser' and a remix of Cenizas by Art Deko). In addition, this album has a track called 'Nightmare' and some exclusive remixes.

The biggest issue I have with this act is that the guy running it calls himself 'Evergoth' - I've made my feelings on this clear, the name is far too sterotypical, and childish - a fact which gives me a headache, as the release itself is pretty worthwhile.

The title track starts off as generic Dark Electro, but is overlapped by a menacing melody that sounds like it could come from a horror movie. 59 seconds in, the vocals begin, and they're delivered with calibre - I was expecting severely amateur, and although Evergoth's delivery might not be at the standards of Javi Ssagitarr and JVR, they're not at all forced or strained. It's mixed and produced very well, and doesn't require a great deal of effort to actually enjoy.

'Transition' is a favourite for many listeners, and is piercing and resonant in both Bass and aggression. I'll be honest, Andro-Dioxin is a typical debut release for both a new label and act, and has a long way to go before reaching those dizzying heights, but it does offer something potent and talented. What it does do, it does very well, and what it does is cram each song with a lot of effects and sounds, and there's a lot going on. From bouncing Techno to harsh Industrial, there's a lot of potential in this release, and although I miss the cover of Hellraiser, we don't need another one. The remixes by Alienoxir and Electrovot are the real clinchers here.

'Nightmare' and 'Cenizas' push this album beyond hit-and-miss into the territory of 'cheap and enjoyable'. Despite the lack of clear identity, this act will do well - I've heard the new EP 'Suicidal', and it is a hell of a lot better than this.

Worth the cheap, honest and affordable cost that ER charge, and available digitally and on limited CD. Mar 08 2012