Chrome Corpse - Chrome Corpse

Chrome Corpse is the EBM/electro-industrial project of Michael F. Ninethousand based out of the ever evolving Seattle, WA scene in the US. There are a ton of influences the project takes in ranging from contemporary masterminds such as 3TEETH and Youth Code as well as legends Skinny Puppy, Clock DVA, and Front Line Assembly. Though he is a newcomer to the scene Chrome Corpse just might be one of the more prolific up and coming artists that will graze your ears. Hopefully you'll understand why upon first listen of his self-titled debut album Chrome Corpse. 

The intro track of the album 'Birth Of A New Terror' will have you mistake the band for a power electronics/noise band - more on that later - as that's exactly what I got when I hit the play button: lo-fi sound waves that eventually morph into a blistering cacophony. Don't let that one track turn you off, however, for track number two is where the fun begins. 'Roadkill' greets us with heavy percussion over a wave of electronics. The vox on this track are completely distorted and deep, making it sound as if the devil himself is yelling at us. 

Sweeping synths guide us on a brilliant old-school romp in the album version of 'Bonecrushed Neurospasm'. It's also here that we see that Chrome Corpse doesn't stick with one vocal style either; while the previous track was distorted Ninethousand changed up his vocals to shouting with a bit of an echo behind them. Much of the following three tracks as well as the final bonus song follow suit in the vein of 'Bonecrushed Neurospasm' and 'Roadkill' - on spot percussion and crisp production values followed by vocals that are drastically changing. However, I never got the feeling that the album was out of it's tenure. It's all solid and fits under one roof.

For those of who whom hate power electronics you are advised to stay away from both 'A Sea Of Malfunctioned Brains' and 'I.W.T.K.M.S.'. Both of those tracks are eight to ten minutes long and are thunderous assaults of power electronics, noise, and rhythm. Nonetheless, I found pleasure in 'A Sea of Malfunctioned Brains' as - and it may be hard to imagine through all the violent turbulence - there was semblance of structure and thought through the tortured cries. However, 'I.W.T.K.M.S.' I cannot recommend to much anyone; it sounded like a generic noise track with a mixture of static and an overabundance of frequencies. Though I may bash this one song it really is the only black mark on an otherwise fantastic electro-industrial/EBM outing with some noise in between and it should not deter you from listening to this album. 

Having known of Chrome Corpse for quite a bit now through various connections and speaking with the man behind the project via Social Media, it's quite lovely to know that the enthusiastic engineer behind the project is more than just talk. His knowledge in the industrial field and his constant expansion on his sound led to a powerful debut self-release. As always, there is room for improvement but I can only imagine that Chrome Corpse will soon be picked up by a label and make even more connections to help him along his journey. Two thumbs up for Chrome Corpse! 
Feb 28 2017