Review: Torque Order – 'Metal Machines'

TORQUE ORDER
'Metal Machines'
SELF-RELEASED

Just over a year on from their impressive debut 'Trust No One', Texan trio Torque Order return with a visceral new single in the form of 'Metal Machines'.

Building nicely on the old school industrial rock formula of their first album with big nods to the likes of Ministry, KMFDM, TKK, Pigface, and Rob Zombie, 'Metal Machines' is a hard and heavy blend of grooving rock, anthem vocals and subtle industrial electronics.

A short intro in the early 90s Wax Trax! Style opens up into a nasty guitar riff that recalls 'WWIII' era KMFDM, while the electronics and vocal samples hark back to the likes of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult.

This is one of those single/EP releases with a few more remixes than your standard single release giving you a bit more bang for your buck. The likes of Adoration Destroyed, Society Burning, Precision Field, Russell Rott, DJ 501, and Kounter Mehzure each add their spin to the title track's blueprints to create some very different final results. Adoration destroyed go for a more up-to-date pure industrial execution. Society Burning bring the big beats with their mix, while Precision Field dive into old school ebm territory for a gritty interpretation. Russell Rott goes takes the track in a more club friendly direction that descends unexpectedly into hard guitars. DJ 501 takes things in a harsh ebm/aggrotech direction, while Kounter Mehzure round hings off with a stripped back mix of steady beats and dirty bass.

The production has improved from the band's last release with the old school elements preserved but sounding a lot slicker and modern in it's execution.

This is a nice single with plenty of great remixes to get your teeth into. Essentially there is a bit of everything for everyone on offer here which is quite a good tactic. The band present a wide variety of remixes which allows them to play with ideas by proxy while they continue to work on the core of their sound. The end result is a very gratifying listen.  

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Review: Neurotech - 'I Desensitize'

NEUROTECH
'I Desensitize'
SELF-RELEASED

Only a few months after his last stunning outing on 'Stigma', Slovenia Neurotech, AKA solo artist Wulf, returns with a new single and album to see out the year. The album 'Evasive' will be dropping in a couple of weeks, but prior to that the first single 'I Desensitize' has landed.

The single blends epic sci-fi atmospheres with industrial, trance, futurepop, and ebm to create a stunning instrumental track that would be just as at home on a film soundtrack as it would in a club. The song may have removed the metal guitars that characteristic a lot of his work, but it is no less brilliant for it. It's almost reminiscent of what a collaboration between Peter Tagtgren and Vangelis would perhaps sound like.

The production is perfect. It has a grand sense of space that adds to it's heady cinematic scope. But with it's solid beat, memorable melodies and clean hooks it feels grounded and dance-friendly.

This is an addictive first taste of the forthcoming album that once again shows off Wulf's seemingly effortless prowess as a songwriter and performer. Based purely on this it seems as though 'Evasive' is shaping up to be a seriously promising album.  

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Review: KPT – 'Descent' (Featuring Jekka)

KPT
'Descent' (Featuring Jekka)
POLKADOT MAYHEM

KPT (pronounced “Kept”) is a name slowly making waves in the underground edm scene. Having released a handful of singles and EPs since 2012 KPT is already being tipped for big things, and if the lead single from his soon to be released full-length début album 'Alive By Machines' is anything to go by, they may be right.

The single is 'Descent', and features the sublime vocals of Russian alt-pop vocalist Jekka who lends her unique style to a track that blends industrial, ambient and idm with ease. Beginning with industrial style distorted beats the song begins to unfurl as subtle ambient textures intermingle with the beats and the synth and vocal melodies intertwine. The end result is a hard, yet melodic track that is rich with texture and depth that just begs you to dance.

The track is dark, and atmospheric yet completely accessible and polished. It is a smart single that shows that genres such as industrial and darkwave can add depth of flavour to the accessibility of edm. The full length album will definitely be one to keep and eye out for.  

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Review: The 69 Eyes – 'Lost Without Love' (Single)

THE 69 EYES 

'Lost Without Love' 

NUCLEAR BLAST 

After once more experimenting with their glam metal roots on recent albums, the Helsinki Vampires have slowly been finding their way back to their signature “goth 'n' roll” sound. What better way to celebrate this than with the second “best of” compilation in the band's 20+ year career.

The new single that accompanies 'The Best Of The Helsinki Vampires' is quite an apt one. 'Lost Without Love' is a nice blend of the bands metallic edge without compromising on their gothic pomp. The semi ballad fits in nicely with classic tracks such as 'Dance D'Amour', 'Stolen Season', and 'Betty Blue'.

The deep bassy tones to Jyrki 69's vocals are dropped in favour of a more dynamic approach, which works but does also bring the song a bit close to HIM territory. Though the band thankfully stop short of imitating their own imitators.

If you want a big single to close a live show with, then this is going to tick the boxes. It has the classic jangling guitars, haunting synths, grooving bass and a big sing-a-long chorus to really rouse the audience.

It doesn't quite live up to the legacy of singles like 'Brandon Lee', 'Gothic Girl' or 'The Chair'. But it does a good job of maintaining a link between the band's past and their most passable recent cuts like 'Borderline' from 'X' and 'Ghost' from 'Perfect Skin'.

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