Holm/Mirland - In Control

Welcome Danish project Holm/Mirland, a project consisting of Kim Holm and John R. Mirland. Together, these two have produced three full length albums composing around minimal industrial sounds and what not, and they've even created their own label, Robotik. Earlier in the year, to debut on their label, they released In Control, a ten track album that attempts to "... journey into the functions of the brain - be it lust, panic, despair, control or any lack or combination of these." So, with that being said, let's waltz right on into this work.

Numb starts us off with a pretty simple noise routine, very low, nothing that will kill your ears. A simple, EBM like beat comes in at a slow pace, along with a little electronic noise right before the vocals kick in. A bit of an effect is placed on them, but, along with a bit more noise and synth work relegated to the background, this song kicked so much ass.

The title track, In Control, came in next. More electronic noise, another faster, EBM like beat kicked in with some static noise to give it an edge. The vocals were more spoken out this time around, a few whispers here and there, but they were robotic like, very monotone, but well done all in the same.

Hiding Place was alright; the vocals spoke out short phrases, and the beat was decent. Nothing fancy, just a fairly streamlined song. Mindscape Pt. 1, however, offered a very eerie dark ambient song. Like visiting a crashed space ship crawling with all sorts of hidden lethal predators, this song allowed for dark, futuristic images to flood your brain. Outstanding work.

Continuing on the spooky factor, The Mind's Eye offered true minimalistic design, offering little electronic notes here and there on top of a low pitched synth that served as base for all the noise surrounding it. The whispering vocals that came in later were absolutely fantastic in every form of the word. And I loved it.

Last Ride actually had a bit of a retro, 80s kind of feel to it; and once more, I absolutely adored the sound that came out of these guys. My favorite parts of this song would be when the synths kicked in more than not, allowing for a blissful, industrial infused synthpop sound to emerge. Fantastic work through and through.

Voices gave off another EBM like beat, however, it had a bunch of other effects attached to it which allowed it to stand out more than not. Pretty decent, but it lacked the power of a few other songs on the album, making it sort of lag behind.

Mindscape Pt. 2 was another stunning dark ambient and drone track, this time sounding as if I were exploring a vast, otherworldly forest with God-knows-what lurking and stalking me behind every step I took. I loved it and the tingle it left shivering down my spine.

A pretty hard electronic beat came out of Pain and Pleasure, still serving up a side of noise alongside the lovely beats that formed. The lyrics were fairly plain, mainly saying, "Look what you did to me." but the beat worked over well.

The final track on the album was Awake, and it moved slower, but slammed just as hard. The vocals were more spoken out again, and the only complaint I have about this song would be that it just wasn't that dynamic; a pretty straightforward song without many odds or ends to keep it interesting throughout.

However, with all that being said, I really enjoyed the sound of this album. A lot of the songs were a blast to get through, and though some powered and stomped over others, I'm sure you'll find a whole lot to love in this album. Some songs did sound a little stale in comparison to others; if the energy brought forth in all the dynamic songs, the ones that knew how to change up the pace in every sense, and was put onto a few of the more bland tracks, I think this release would have just been that much greater. However, it's still good, and I highly recommend you take a listen for yourself. Aug 22 2014