Back after 13 years from their full length debut, K-nitrate (now formed by Graham Rayner and Christian Weber) present a new album titled ACTIVE CELL. The ten new tracks see the duo using real synthesizers only (as stated inside the CD booklet) to create their mixture of acid techno electronic music. With a different kind of sounds we could call it danceable industrial music but, in this case, I can hear echoes of 90’s acid music (don’t ask me names, because acid music isn’t my cup of tea) that mixed with distorted lead synth lines form a new kind of explosive mixture. If you want me to compare the sound to something I know, try to imagine The Prodigy of tracks like "Hyperspeed (G-Force part 2)" but add an aggressive tone and raise the techno influence. The choice the band did of making instrumental tracks increase the effect of a dancehall in distortion. With vocal lines they could smash the charts just like the Prodigy did...

This is a debut release by a trio hailing out of Greece. I’ve never heard of them before, and that they got signed to the Japanese, rather Goth-Rock inspired Cure label (leaded by Kiwamu of BLOOD) made the surprise perfect. I got some doubts into the provided music as I saw at first the band photo printed at their label info sheet – with limy white make-up they rather look like KISS-copycats – furthermore the statement that two of the three band members are playing guitars made me thinking on a Black/Death-Metal act. Well, do not judge a band on their pics and info, he-he – this is a fine and well-worked out Dark Electro music, here and there with some hints into Hellektro, but generally without the Trancewhackedgoregalore (copyright by electrofreak, cheers!). And guitars – oh yes – available only on "Reach Out" and the second version of "Let Them Die" (provided by BLOOD-mastermind Kiwamu) – but this are rather exceptions. Favorites? Well, "Let Them Die", available here in two different versions – surprises with a clear and natural sounding vocal performance for the refrain (...of course, heavily distorted vocals are present on almost all tracks here – how could you expect anything else???). "NASA’s Lullaby" – well it’s rather seldom that a foreign band likes to take care on the spaceship dramas of Columbia and Challenger – musically, and not only on this piece they remind me a bit on acts like PUNTO OMEGA, maybe HOCICO. Finally also the satanic piece "Existe", which can be also found on the new Cure label compilation "Darkest Labyrinth" (more on this release soon...), has to be named to be one of the outstanding pieces here. It is a surprising good debut release – nothing new at all – but this scene has already endured a lot of weaker stuff, so let’s hope for some more international exposure for this fine act!

After a while from her debut MCD "Back from the dead" here's the brand new album from Zombie Girl. Created by Icon Of Coil's Sebastian R. Komor and his wife Renee Cooper-Komor the project play around the zombie icon created back in 1968 by George Romero's famous movie "Night of the living dead". Following this theme the duo composed electro tracks with slight techno industrial and r'n'r influences with titles like "Jesus was a zombie", "Dance of the headless corpse", or "Go zombie". Humor is their first weapon but the production experience of Sebastian helped a lot creating something more than a fun album. In this way we have thirteen tracks that even if influenced by the forementioned genres they have also a certain melodic taste and an edgy dance attitude. Of the lot I preferred the ones which blended e.b.m. industrial sounds with a certain techno attitude and I found less convincing the ones that recalled me an industrial version of Blondie (see "Creature of the night" or "Gonna getcha"). Overall the album has good sounds and nice tracks (even if sometimes the vocals have a of pop attitude) and it makes me smile thinking that a pressing plant refused to print the booklet because it contained too much fake blood and plastic brains. P.s. As usual for this kind of releases Alfa Matrix did a limited box-set edition with an extra CD and a T-shirt.

Somehow this long awaited debut release of the Polish act CONTROLLED COLLAPSE is a kind of "lost child" in between the NTP family, since it got already announced to be out during summer 2K6. But due to some unexpected "technical problems" the release got deleted until now. Unfortunately the situation with this strategic partner of the German Dependent label seems still to be unclear, this release of course features more or less well with the trademark and the intention of NTP: to give talented Dark Electro/EBM acts a new platform asides the highly renowned Dependent label roster under the control of the skilful hands of Johan Van Roy (SUICIDE COMMANDO). CONTROLLED COLLAPSE is musically a one-man act consisting of Kr-Lik, but he gets some additional live synth help through Milena and Tomtylor. Like with the label comrade of DIOXYDE, the notorious "SC-shuffle" is also richly present in the music of CONTROLLED COLLAPSE, while it would be wrong to reduce this act only on this repetitive formula. It seems a bit that Kr-Lik thinks a lot on his musically outcome, the chosen sounds and the rhythmically structures are definitively not taken from the first found preset sounds. Also his rhythmically work seems to be thought-after, at times using more, at times using lesser distortion effects – but at all no jump into the Powernoise genre. Another remarkable point is his work on his vocals, clear and natural sounding ("Liar") goes hand in hand with a rough and distorted ("Insane Asylum") performance. Tracks like "Liar", "Insane Asylum" or "Inject (Syringe Edit)" should work excellent to cause some movement on the dancefloors, while here also enough mid-tempo tracks ("Dreams", "Memory Of The Past"), which offer a satisfying listening on your home entertainment. And to make Kr-Lik’s already gained internationally attention complete, he could also invite two guests in Darrin Huss (PSYCHE) and Wendy Yanko (FLESH FIELD) providing some vocals and lyrics. This is a constant good Dark Electro album, not the innovation of the year for sure – but decent enough to grab your attention.

Another official debut release for the CA-based Crunch Pod Media label and with the NYC-based CERVELLO ELETTRONICO a not unknown name. Leaded by David Christian (aka SNARF) this act works already since years in the underground. Self-released and hard-to-get EP’s, uncountable live supporting gigs for renowned names like TERRORFAKT or MAUFACTURA, a gig in Germany on a Planet-Myer-Day, or some well-done remix works (again TERRORFAKT for example...) are reference for internationally recognition of this hard-working act. Globally said, David likes to combine classic Electro/Industrial bass lines, broken and interrupted voice samples with newer Electronica elements and rhythmically Powernoise – although this release behaves different compared to a typically genre release. David seems to manage hard on all tracks here not to sound like a repetitive and minimal Powernoise musician, also an overwhelming use of distortion and overdrive effects can’t be heard – he simply tries not to offer the harshest and roughest release around. His tracks are far away from sounding minimal, they rather offer depth and maturity. Plus he seems to be a specialist by using of low-fi and bit rate reduction effects – as it can be heard pretty much in bass lines as well as in rhythm patterns. Intelligent constructed and tracked down, this release – like the last ENDIF release – stands highly above the average. Hard to figure out some smashing favorites, because all tracks offer uncountable ideas and well-produced authentic sounds, so that all pieces can satisfy. Take a good pair of headphones and listen to this album in one turn. You won’t get bored also after the 20th spin. A must-have release for all genre listeners, as well as for open-minded Electro/Industrial lovers.