Lucifer's Aid - New To Reality

EBM purists should go bonkers over this newfound minimal/EBM project by way of Progress Productions. Coming out of Stockholm, Sweden with a name you would usually expect from a black metal band, Lucifer's Aid is run by Carl Nilsson and describes his music as, "...harsh, beat driven music with minimalistic texts." Though minimal and straightforward, his sound is aggressive and absolutely seductive. 

With the clatter of electronic drums bringing forth the might of the first track 'Unfollow Me', the club ready beat of the song will ultimately get you in the mood to shut off your lights and stomp around a bit. The slower, thumping rhythm of 'Deep Inside' ensues next but still keeps up the cold machine-like feel Lucifer's Aid aims for. His vocals growl alongside the music but is never the mainstay of the album. It's clear that it's his music that drives forward the album, not his voice. 

'The Taste' has a very underground feel to it like something you would find in a club run by vampires - I'm talking the type out of Blade. 'Corrupt' injects some static noise into the mix like feedback from a bad speaker system, but is smartly used and never sounds as bad as it appears on paper; it comes off excellently. 'Follow Me' completely amps up the bass and overall noise on the album. Be careful with this one; you may need to lower your volume if you're a pussy. 

'Dead Colours' has a bit of a lofi presence about it while 'Click Disease' presents one of the more technically astounding tracks on the album. While it still maintains the minimal EBM feel, the electronic work had sci-fi imagery floating about in my head. Each thump in 'Nobody Cares' was blasted with anger and angst and had fitting samples bitten around them. 

Taking things old school 'No Way Back' was like traveling back to 80s EBM. Seriously, I could see this sound taking place back when Front 242 and the like were getting their start-ups. The only difference now is that this music is crisp and clear. The final track on the album 'Keep the Dark' wasn't the strongest on the album, but left us off on a good note with a new, bouncy rhythm. 

Lucifer's Aid is a project that should not be taken lightly as they are managing to out-EBM a lot of acts that have been on the scene for quite a bit. And, seeing as how Nilsson was able to get this new project signed to Progress Productions - a very revered label in my opinion - just goes to show how well off this project already is. Go check it out. 
Aug 22 2016