'Limited Edition ' Extendet Play' ' although small typed right below on the front-cover, this has been one of the first positive facts of E.S.R.'s latest release. French fellow Vincent Pujol at least adds another goody to his rich filled and excellence-infiltrated discography. 'Distorted Memories' holds totally 13 tracks and can be temporary seen as a remix companion to Vincent's last full-length album 'Post-Industrial' (DSBP/Gravitator/Urgence Disk Records), but too as being a kind of EP to offer new tracks and to introduce some new projects and tendencies, how and in which kind Vince could continue.
You'll get 4 all new tracks, a new and still untitled demo track, a cover version on Public Relation's 'Eighty Eight', plus a first track named 'Twisted Shadow' of the new built side-project JOINT VISION, which includes Vincent and his friend Jerome Caulier. At least a remix contribution by the French act PSYCHICOLD accompanies this release. With more than 70 minutes of pure, adrenaline-driven Electro/Industrial music, you'll get a lot quantity, but also the quality of this on only 100 exemplars limited EP should be able to appeal you as being the interested listener.
In the first instance, the focus of attention lays on the four new tracks, from which the title-track 'Distorted Memories' 'available in two different versions - offers the most intensity in both parts of the composition ' it features an attractive synth-layer programming with a high recognition level, as well as a song structure, which invites the listeners to sink completely into the arrangements and it allows dancefloor movements of masses. What additionally attracts attention, is the fact, that Vince seemingly concentrates more to add a smoother fx-processing on his vocals ' compared to his earlier albums the vocals are sounding lesser harsh, although still aggressive enough.
As for the 4 remix works on his latest full-length studio album 'Post-Industrial', well, I guess you all know since Vince's self-released collection 'A Passage in Time V.1', that he quite often produces alternative versions on his tracks. This attitude helps out also on this EP, because all remixed tracks ('Cyberthief', 'World Domination', 'Resurrected' and 'Fallen Angels') got completely revamped by Vince himself ' no foreign remix work on his older tracks, no so-called prominent names offering remix contributions with questionable quality ' in all, it is a quite welcomed idea, to concentrate on his own abilities. The Warlock Mix on 'World Domination' is at least my personal favorite, especially after consuming Vince's icy-cold, but richly detailed synth pad programming on this tune.
As for the additional stuff, the still untitled new demo track sounds promising in its first versions, while the mutual new side-project JOINT VISION can't be judged on after only one track. The already above mentioned cover version sounds as expected from E.S.R., while I've to admit that I don't know anything about the original and have never heard of it. At least we'll get the remix work on the new track 'Low Life' of PSYCHICOLD and so the only one foreign band contribution, which adds musically the integration of some guitar riffs into the Electronica-driven sound.
A lot of stuff to discover, as usual from E.S.R., but I won't leave this one without a small word of criticism. I thought it was 'Wounds And Scars', released 4 years before, with which Vince has received his personal best-of-the-best album, as it was this one, which offered the most diversity and different moods pressed onto one silver circle. After consuming 'Post-Industrial' and now this EP, I come to the conclusion, that these both can only follow the quality of 'Wounds And Scars', but can't formulating anything new. To reach perfection and an automatically working process of composition can't be any longer the target of an Electro/Industrial project after 5 different studio albums, one collection and now one EP ' or to say it in short words ' Vincent runs into danger to repeat himself. Contrary to nearly all previous released albums, I miss a bit that groundbreaking idea in Vincent's work for a new or refreshing sound-design, a more consequent variation of speed, or simply the try to question own compositional tactics ' whatever may the most promising formula is to result into more diversity. But I am sure, that Vincent is quite aware of this situation and will find the right weapons against all upcoming hints of stagnancy.