Simplefixty - Humanity Lost

Simplefixty is a dark music meets techno project resulting in what I would call Industrial Metal, from Norway. Our 8 track album begins with "The Gatekeeper", were talking big Jean Michel Jarre electronic sound here, and I am looking for lights, lasers and fireworks. With a nice developing drum beat, eventually building up to a good industrial dance beat and sound, but still retaining the big electronic sound throughout.

"Imploder" gives us another great mixture of sounds to produce another big sound this time with samples and vocals. Noize, electro, aggrotech, industrial and metal, with accompanying reasonable vocals. I am quite amazed so far by a project I had never heard of before and could find out very little about.

I get now from the album that it's telling a biblical story or prophecy, "The Gatekeeper" tells for example, that the rich should weep and howl for the miseries that are coming to them. "The Imploder" tells about the world's economies imploding as per bible prophecy. "The Forsaken" and so on, write your own story as you listen as all the material you need is provided for you in the music.

"The Forsaken" again brings us something new, with Public Image meets the Happy Mondays type vocals and a big industrial beat and great guitars. The industrial nearly tribal drum beat with metal and 'Lydon-esque' vocals make this quite extraordinary. "Restless Spirits" follows in much the same way, no big surprises but we cannot expect them from every track I suppose. Most notable in "Humanity Lost" is the good use of samples and synths in almost a pure industrial track.

"The Fleshtracker" brings another marked change with a 1980s style drum beat start leading into a more metal sound and once again a change of vocals. Somehow with this combination I get a "Johnny Cash" influence coming through, particularly due to the vocals. This is the way 'The Man in Black' would have done it.

"In the Shadow of Death" is once again very much a big orchestral type industrial sound. "Gabriel" plays us out fittingly in the same big way but with lots of bells and angel samples. An electronic track and hard to fit into any sub-genre, all-in-all a beautiful sound. The Angel Gabriel has brought the humans a message from God and now departs.

Conclusion:
I would never suggest mixing dark music with techno and a heap of other stuff as a general rule, but Simplefixty have done it and done it well. If you are imaginative, and want to hear something new and innovative then try this out. This album is also available as a free download. May 27 2012