Neon Insect - New Moscow Underground

A concept story a la Red Dawn converges in "New Moscow Underground". Following the invasion of the United States of America by the New Russian Empire twenty-six years before the album takes place I found myself in New Moscow (or what used to be New York). The science-fiction invasion featuring cyborgs and cyberpunk influences in general is all about totalitarian indoctrination; do your part in the system else you'll be found in Old Manhattan. Though not fully described I can only imagine this landlocked domain as a mega-prison such as the one found in Escape From New York. Rebellious groups are rising and much of "New Moscow Underground" follows this well-laid revolution.



"New Moscow Underground" had me frothing from my mouth before I clicked the left mouse button on the play button found within Bandcamp. With temptation barely holding me back I pressed down and was entered into a world of hurt; American laid anthems played over the sounds of mocking humming from an antagonistic figure whilst machine gun fire, glass breaking, and explosions blew from the background. After this intro I was thrust into the gust of 'Fist, Hit, Cracking Bones' featuring additional vocal duty by KVMILLA. To say the very least, the industrial sound of machinery clanking, robotic vocals, and drum patterns fitting that of a military march all matched my expectations of what I would find on "New Moscow Underground" - and then some. The industrial bliss I was surrounded by through the headphones fitted onto my cranium was nothing short of synthetic Nirvana.

'This Is Our City' is a retro EBM banger that will have your nearest rivethead stomping their overburdening boots to the floor in a wicked trance. This is quite opposite to the following songs 'Dear Cyborg' and 'Mazerunner'. Both begin off with ominous and somewhat depressing dark ambiance but slowly build up into more solid beat. 'Dear Cyborg' transforms into an aggressive but hopeful song featuring additional lines from NURS while 'Mazerunner' becomes a slow crawling industrial song of some defeat featuring vocals and lyrics from Earl Squanchy. 

A fan favorite song 'LLTQ' featuring the legendary Leaether Strip has made a reappearance on "New Moscow Underground" though this time remixed by Slighter. The song is relatively split in two parts with the first three or so minutes being another cinematic build up to a riveting industrial / d'n'b / breakbeat session. If the aggressive nature of the album has been beating on your eardrums for much time now, then some comfort should be found in the instrumental 'h4CX'. Whilst still being a romp of an electronic song and fast paced as well the amount of noisy stimulants has been reduced. This is paired next to 'It's Gotta Be Me' which does well in its more simplistic nature allowing for moments of storytelling and lyrical delivery over synthesizer overload though later sections of the song find spasms of noise entering the fray.

'Downtown Network' is another instrumental piece that made me feel like I was entering some kind of realm of cybernetic space; if travelling to the inner confines of the internet had a song, I believe this would be it. The final song on the album 'Blossom' covers wonderful piano and classical elements featuring Johanna Heinrich's voice and lyrics. Other elements of glitch and rhythmic noise are present within the song. 'Twas a good choice to end the album with this one. 

This review also does not touch into the second half of "New Moscow Underground", which is the spoken word story of "New Moscow Underground" featuring solid voice acting. I consider it a huge bonus to getting the album as the musical tracks found within are grand as it stands. There are some of these songs simply titled 'NMU - I', 'NMU - II', and so on and so forth that do feature backing music from Neon Insect. Check it out if you get the time - it is well worth it.

All this aside, "New Moscow Underground" is a grand album from Neon Insect; though their career has been long I feel as if this album and "Glitches" are part of Neon Insect's re-imagining in both theme, content, and sound design. Expertly crafted and well made from production to guest appearances  as well as the blend of multiple genres under the industrial spectrum, this is not an album in 2019 you are too miss. You can purchase the album over on Bandcamp and you can check out all the guest appearances, voice actors, and credentials there. 
Sep 16 2019