Mortal Void - The Great Pretending

Release number 8; album number 5. 'Krankheitssyndrom' Aka Tobias Hopp is a busy, busy man. As 'Mortal Void', this project has eluded me previously, and since the creation of the act in 2004, this is the only full release I have heard.

It's a 100-copies only jewel case release, and this is the first thing that Hopp has done correctly, as releasing your work on CD is essential as a Dark Electro act, in my opinion. It's hellishly time consuming and financially ineffective to find a PC system with headphones/speakers that can get the most out of the sound, without haemorrhaging your wallet.

'Blind, Dead & Empty' isn't the fast, out of the traps style track that a first 'proper' track requires to draw you in, that being said however; it has moments where the bass will ruin a dancefloor, and it's immediately followed by 'Thanks' - one of the nicest and most unfitting titles for a harsher electro album, but it's as pulsing and aggressive as anything from the more successful 'slower' side of Dark Electro - Lexincrypt, Controlled Collapse, early Hocico... the experimentation is there, and reflections and allusions to earlier Mortal Void songs are omnipotent.

I've heard mixed comments about this release, Most, admittedly are critical, negative, or unsure; I can pinpoint many areas where Tobias Hopp isn't at the top of the genre, but theres a charm and individual potency that seems to make this release stand out to me. It's like it has an aura around it demanding my attention, and in a rather unusual stance for me, I cannot stop listening to the title track.

Production is passable at worst, decent at best, and my main issue with this release is the clarity of the vocals; although no means dire, sometimes it's a little easy to get lost in the surrounding ambience.

Potential? - Yes
Enjoyable - Yes

Check out the links above. If you like what you hear, this album is for you. Dec 15 2011