Review: Crisis Actor – 'Slave New World'

CRISIS ACTOR
'Slave New World'

ANT-ZEN

Last year's coming together of legendary Snog frontman David Thrussell and veteran edm producer Tony D’Oporto to form Crisis Actor was an unexpected but very welcome move. Their début offering, 'Superstar' was a solid blend of rhythmic dance beats and throbbing bass power reminiscent of 90's ebm classics. Thankfully the duo have followed up that taster with something much more substantial in the form of 'Slave New World'.

The album kicks off with recent single/EP release 'Electronic Eye', and initial single 'Superstar' which set a nice pace for the rest of the album. Rooted firmly in old school electronic body music with a hint of sinister techno, the duo balance a methodical dance approach with a dark and gravely vocal performance that creates its own atmosphere very effectively.

Songs such as 'The New Dark Age', 'Death By Selfie Stick', '#Pizzagate', 'Atmosphere, and 'Tor' keep to this formula for the most part and while there is little variation in the band's approach, the songs are still very effective and catchy. It's a simple, straightforward style that just works really damn well. Where they do vary things up though it gets very interesting; 'Bringer Of War' gets a bit more funky with idm influences creeping in, while 'The Dissonant Reality Show' makes nice use of light pads and an almost synthpop like feel to it. But it's the final track, 'Abramovic' that shows the true scope of the project as it evolves from a light ambient track, before bringing in some ebm bass and fading back into ambiance.

The production is excellent. Clean and crisp throughout every track. The clean steady beats and bass are always solid and driving the tracks, while Thrussell's vocals provide the sinister tones. Even when they drop hints of other genres in their, it remains true to form and assimilates the sounds with ease.

This is a very strong initial full-length outing from Thrussell and D'Oporto. There is a clearly defined sense of identity imbued throughout the tracks here, and even though there is a definite old school kind of vibe going on, it isn't limiting in any way. The songs are fresh, effective and marries well with the social commentary that is ever present. This is an intelligent and well-crafted release that hints at a lot more to come.  

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Review: Crisis Actor – 'Superstar'

CRISIS ACTOR 

'Superstar' 

SELF-RELEASED 

Crisis Actor sees the union of features legendary Snog frontman David Thrussell along with veteran edm producer Tony D’Oporto to create a fusion of old school ebm, industrial and trance with its cross-hairs aimed squarely at the dance floor. The duo's first offering 'Superstar' is a track that has dance appeal in spades. 

As solid blend of rhythmic dance beats and throbbing bass power the four-and-a-half minute long track with infectious fury. The dark gravely vocal performance is subtle and reminiscent of the 90's classics of the genre, while the lead melody is straight-forward and to the point. It has an undeniable old school charm that cant fail to get feet moving, while the band's political agenda, summed up perfectly by the George Orwell quote on their Bandcamp page “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act ”, will certainly get heads thinking as well. 

In terms of production it has a solid, no-frills kind of feel to it. Not strictly old school, but it cuts a lot of needless pomp and circuitry away in favour of the purity of the ebm core. But it still feels, fresh, modern, and most importantly... relevant. 

This is a somewhat unexpected move for both parties, but not an unwelcome one. This track will definitely pique many people's interest and it still holds a fair bit back, so who knows what else they have up their sleeves? But it will be interesting to find out.  

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