Various Artists - Swedish Old School EBM 2013

This isn't the first compilation I've reviewed for Brutal Resonance with Swedish and EBM in the title (that honour goes to Swedish EBM: The Collection), but as one seeking out the hotspots still practising the 'true' form of electronic body music (as London ain't the place to be for it right now), I'm always willing to give such things a go. It's a limted edition 7", but I'll confess I reviewed the thing in digital form.

As compilations go, this isn't fully representative of the country's scene with a mere four bands (about as many as you can fit on a 7"), but they did at least pick a quartet of relatively big names. The Pain Machinery kick off with a disappointinly static "Surface", a dull bassline and generic vocal snarl proving to be a poor showing from a band who I know can do better. Turnbull AC's put in a typically unsubtle showings with the thunderous drumming and Doug McCarthy-esque vocalisation on "Boys", shamelessly playing to their strengths and better for it as a result.

Sturm Café get into the spirt of the compilation, putting in a blunt, bludgeoning EBM mix of "Koka Kola Freiheit", which was a rather tuneful synthpop tune on the original album, but now resembles the one synth-one drum track-one vocal proto-EBM sound of Virgin-era D.A.F.. The curveball of the album is Container 90s "De-Evolution", due to a tendency to switch between four-beat and shuffle rhythms, a device best not used unless you have a full command of the music theory required to nail such transitions. Unfortunately, these guys seem not to, and it sounds quite sloppy as a result.

I do admire the 'exactly what is says on the tin' spirit of the EPs title. It's Swedish old-school EBM, pressed onto an old-school format, though Sham Recordings have once again provided a stream for us digital-by-default types. It's just with huge compilations now being released for free download all over the place, a four-track EP on vinyl still comes across as being as something of a niche product. Indeed, it's limited to 160 copies, which sounds about right. Jan 08 2014