Some of you might remember Swiss musician Laine Gebel, aka Ex Nihilo (but also behind the Cicerone and Cogito projects), because he was interviewed in one of our back issues and because he also appeared on one of our CD compilations. For those who don't know him "Lie" might be a good start, as it is a collection of early material from his demo tapes, CD-Rs and official CD releases "Visions" and "Apres le Chaos". The only previously unreleased material is the very title-track, which has a faster industrialized version of Queen's "We Will Rock You" beat with martial organs and Laibach-like vocals. Ex Nihilo brings a wide array of sonorities to the table, zooming in on electro and industrial primarily, but picking from ambient/trip, dark/goth, techno/dance as well. Give it a try. On a different note, if there is one thing I didn't understand about this deserving label after reviewing two of their albums, it is why they keep releasing previously released material from all these bands... I mean, in both cases (Ex Nihilo and Eye) the bands are quite prolific and I am sure they could or even already had put together an entire new record, and yet the Third Brass Collective opts for collections intended to offer the bands a platform for promotion of innovative, controversial or atypical electronic music. I mean, if they have the resources to put out CDs why don't they release new material while trying to offer these bands a wider exposure? That's just my 2 cents.

Members of the Third Brass Collective, Sobria Ebrietas walked the 3rd step in their discography with "De Bene Arte Moriendi", an album that processes a 360 degrees spectrum of sonics. I like that John Cult metaphors their music's apparent chaos with a David Lynch movie. He's also right when he says that it would perfectly fit as a soundtrack for one of his movies. We are dealing with a convulsionary blend of dark-ambient and industrial music and experimental-noise. Think Cold Meet Industry meets Ant Zen meets Staalplaat/Soleilmoon. These guys love to sample stuff (especially vocals and beats) and play it back slower. They are really into slowing down voices and entire metal band's riffs (an aspect of their production that, if I was them, I would further explore) complete with drums and guitars, which is returned as a slow evil sombre powerful industrial mayhem. They remind of quite a few different bands for quite a few different reasons (Nada, Neubauten, Flugschaedel, Neurosis and of course all the more or less anonymous experimental-noise artists out there, just to mention a few...). Unfortunately, if you take into account all nine songs of this record, the focus is more on their experimental/noise/dark/ambient soul rather than on the furious metal harshness that I like so much in this project. In particular the opening song really steps into industrial-metal territories a la Flugschaedel (if somebody remembers this great German band they'll know exactly what I am talking about) with Neubauten's Blixa's voice samples from one of their earlier records (I believe "Haus der Le" or "Tabula Rasa"). Funny to mention that the albums starts with the same sound it finishes with. Yeah, I think you should check this record out when you get a chance and listen to it at least once, 'cause it's very dynamic and full of surprises, but definitely an interesting one.

A couple of days ago I posted a review of CriBabi's debut CD "Volume" (http://www.chaindlk.net/reviews/reviews.php3?id=349) which you should refer to for more background info about the band before reading this review. This self-titled or untitled four tracks CDS includes "Somebody to Love" (original album version), "You Need Some" (present in two different Adelphi mixes) and "You're So Sweet (Richard's Mix)". The eclectic Japanese/British new-millennium global-pop duo definitely enters the realms of techno/dance here so it's a good catch for the bouncing masses but probably not for those who want to get introduced to the fine mixture of styles that is band's true essence. The exotic and talented CriBabi creature gave one more proof of dynamism allowing for their catchy, flowery and intelligent tunes to be transformed into grooving, powerful and potential dancefloor hits (even thought personally I would have preferred them to explore the d'n'b side of their musical identity more, when it comes down to remixes). But just so people can't accuse them of going commercial the two remind us of their attitude with the closing water-bubbling ambient soundscapes of the "You're So Sweet" experimental remix. All in all this CDS projects an image of CriBabi that is complete, mature and versatile. PS By the way look out for the CriBabi CD giveaway coming up within the next couple of days: you can win 5 copies of their full lenght debut CD "Volume" and 5 copies of this CDS personally signed by both band members!!!

Pure all out reverb and feedback noise here. But one bad note is the lack of pitch and shift here, which leaves noises on the CD kind of like a long drawn out drone, like track 2 for example. Running these atmospheres through distortion could make them a bit better, and some sense of pitch would do it even better. Tracks like "A Twist A Turn" though are good examples of their minimalist edge, incorporating the snap bassline ala Coil’s "Worship The Glitch". Also the enigmatically titled "{... ... ... ... ..}" has a good flowing effect. The artwork you can tell was done by hand, with blotches of silver and black ink dotting the vellum lined CD liner notes. Rating: 6. Give these guys some time though, and I think their sense of melody will start to kick in, giving their distinctly minimal sound a bit more of an edge. A lot of noise groups start like this, so it’s understandable. I love the name of the label by the way too! Go quick too there are only 30 copies of this I just found out!

"What makes a great release?" is the kind of question I had on my mind today when listening to my new Demo Ep from "Anorkia", titled "Children of Pride". I soon knew the answer after I pressed play.

A band, started in early 2002, has collaborated many members. But the core members, as of now, are:

Fang - First concepts, synths
Dr3w - Vocal programming and supervision, mixing
Je$$ - Vocals
R@zorblade.de - Mixing, remixing, mastering

These four people have created a sound far beyond words. Anorkia isn't just some new underground band. It's a whole new look at electronic synth pop. From the grungy keys, to the sexy vocals, this band can appeal to any fan of any genre. Now to tell you a little about "Children of Pride".

The first track, "War, Sex, Crime", starts off with a burst of hard beats whcih soon picks up to loud synths and the sound of Dr3w rhyming into his mic. The lyrics on this track are amazing. Some of the best I've ever heard in a while. The song has a nice overall beat to it, and is very dance-able. Although you can't hear the beginning vocals to well because of the distortion, it's still a very good song.

The second track, "An", has wonderful melodies and great synths. The vocals are more clear than "War, Sex, Crime". Towards the end, this track gets a little repetitive, but overall, a job well done.

The third track, "Falling Down", has the same feel as "An" gives off. A great tune overall. But it too, gets a little reptitive at the end.

The fourth track, "Power to Believe", gives off a great, mellow vibe, but still maintains that crystal clear Anorkia sound from the previous three tracks. There aren't any vocals, but the track still has a great feeling to it, which makes it astonishing.

The fifth track, "War Sex Crime (Dark Trance Remix)", is the same as the original track, but is very darker, and has a stronger feel to it. The synths added to make this remix are wonderful, but there needed to be a change.

The sixth and final track, "An (Concrete Slab Remix)", is, too, very similar as the original track. It has a new funky vibe to it though, which I didn't like as much as the original, but still, very catchy and fun.

Overall:
War, Sex, Crime - 9/10
An - 7/10
Falling Down - 8/10
Power to Believe - 9/10
War Sex Crime (Dark Trance Remix) - 7/10
An (Concrete Slab Remix) - 7/10