FAKE is the solo effort by Clint Carney of SYSTEM SYN who had indeed a successful year 2004. But if you look for some similarities you wont find too much. FAKE is much harder and features some nice system critically ingredients. It seems that Clint offered us here a personal side of what's happened with and around him with a huge influence of the nowadays political and social situation. LA seems to have his very own interest and I have the feeling that Clint even just get more angry with the results of the US president election, some tracks ("To the Land", "Money to Kill for" or "Wake Up') here can be easily called acoustic results after a post election shock. While I really enjoyed his critically and full of sarcasm filled lyrics woven in harsh distorted and sometimes vocoderized vocals the music itself brings globally Dark Electro/EBM with a decent slap-in-your-face attitude. It is not that too overpopulated SC EBM output which have had too often in the clubs for years, it is more filled with some varied programmings and ideas. Globally a typically US Electro sound, this is something that Europeans will never be able to program, and also the decent included GEETAR on "To the Land" for example doesn't disturb me at all. Outstanding pieces next to the already mentioned are to me the title track and "UnEvolved" which can make you storm the dancefloors. SYSTEM SYN fans should give this (too?) rough output a test run at first, I personally prefer this FAKE effort. A big recommendation to get this!

Surprise, surprise, a new collaboration project release done by two of the leading Electro/Industrial acts out from the Salt Lake City area which grabs my whole attention. And what a release this is!!! The package itself left breathless. This full length split-CD is hidden in a kind of sharp aluminum case which is hold together with a screw. You need some tools to open it, a kind of package which reminds me on some Powernoise works done by a label like Ant-Zen. Comes next to this that this release is limited to 100 numbered exemplars. This will surely cause that you are able to buy it lately in two years, but then via Ebay for a horrible high price if you not act now! This will be a rarely collector’s item and I am very happy that I received one (thanks Kevin!!!).
To the music: It was indeed a hungry longing to get to hear some new stuff from BOUNDLESS, the solo effort by Xon, one half of the legendary SYMBIONT (see interview here somewhere...). Still in a good memory is Xon’s debut CD "Perpetual" out somewhere in 2003 on DSBP/Backscatter. Here we have 9 tracks of this project which can be called an addition to his highly underrated debut. The opener "Vext" I have discovered already on the "Hotgoth Vol. 1" compilation a few weeks before (see also review somewhere here on this website...), but this version here is a new edit of this glorious track which unites all good aspects of the music from BOUNDLESS. Danceable surely, rich melodic layers, excellent sequencing and vocals ranging between undistorted soft to harsh screams are the trademarks of this track. Comes then a good and dancefloor oriented remix of SYSTEM SYN for "Predatory" which was one of the best pieces taken from the "Perpetual" release. Third we have a remix done by LEXINCRYPT (right – the other SYMBIONT member...) for the depressive track with a German title "Allein Stehen". Xon’s vocals are more tormented here and the whole track received some massive steady beatings. It is such a pity that SYMBIONT is now almost in hiatus because when I hear this remix and the strong vocal efforts by Xon, it could easily be a new SYMBIONT track! Follows then DA BEST BOUNDLESS TRACK EVER, "Grace of God", also a new one with outstanding synth layers, Xon’s distorted vocals, great samples, and, and, and. This is the piece on which I penetrate my "Repeat" button over and over again – more, more, more, what a marvelous track! Back in reality comes then a remix done by CARPHAX FILES for "Vext". This one is more EBM oriented and features excellent baseline sequences – well done, although I hear here some arrhythmic patterns near to the end of this track. Best remix work and to me personal the biggest surprise is the "Dancefloor Quarantine Mix" done by LITTLE SAP DUNGEON on "Club Trash", a track also out from "Perpetual". From LSD I do normally expect a somewhat dark, harsh, scary-like piece – but not a total EBM smasher which KICKS ASS!!! LSD will burn the dancefloors and it is one of the very few exceptions on which I prefer a remix work more than the original version! C2 give us then a remix of "Predatory" which consisted mainly of distorted break beats and fuzzy undertones - interesting work but not my cup of tea. "Imprisoned" is surely one of the darkest pieces out from "Perpetual" and here it gets a remix work done ROSES AND EXILE. Some nice reverberations and a overall dark mood – but not too far away from the original version. Finally then we have an incredible instrumental piece here, "Unjust" on which Xon performs with some excellent layers and piano sounds.
Track 10 is a short "Backscatter / Dungeon Recordings Segue" which marks the change from BOUNDLESS to LITTLE SAP DUNGEON.
The latest LSD album "Silent Entities" is still fresh and often present in my discman and so this band takes the chance to offer their growing audience some revised works of older recordings. It starts with the track "Through the Abyss of L. S. D.": dark melodic layers breeding a scary tension until the steady beatings hit your brain. Follows then some rough vocal performances with some more dark played guitar riffs and ready is a hard-in-ya-face stomper which ends almost in chaos! I am always again impressed how this band is able to create different dark moods and how tough they can destroy it in the very next moment. "Love Vs Hate Vortex" features some excellent melodic layers which make me forget some SKINNY classics!!! Marvelous played with some great distorted drum patterns near to the end of this track. Follows then the Acidland 25 Mix of the track "Ask Alice" originally from the "Ten Strip Sacrament" CD in 2001. I am not sure if this is a remix work by another band or simply a cool name for an own remix work. Anyway, this remix differs a lot to the original which is sample loaded and overall dark and atmospheric. This remix takes a step to a higher speed and includes some steady beatings here plus also some real sung vocals. I would say a kind of a real new track. Also the revised version of "Phantasm", originally also out on "Ten Strip Sacrament is of course totally improved and the whole sound quality is not to compare with original. Then we have the "Neu Tötland Remix" (Aaahm,... German here?) done by BOUNDLESS of "Never Ever Land" which can surely be described as one of the outstanding tracks from their marvelous last CD "Silent Entities". BOUNDLESS re-designed this track completely with adding a more dancefloor oriented beat and modern sounding synths. This gives the whole track a very different feel far away from the original. Finally we have a slow, scary piece with some great piano sounds, dark synth layers reminding me on haujobb.’s "Skull Fision" taken from their first "Homes And Gardens" and a surprisingly undistorted vocal performance by Kevin J. Cazier. This is one of their most intense works up to date, so must a slow and dark Electro piece sound! Marvellous track and one of my long list of favorites here.

So we have here an outstanding Electro/Industrial release from two highly underrated acts which surely deserve more attention. This piece in style, art and music is a MUST-HAVE! Finally I am not sure if this release will ever be distributed through DSBP or Metropolis, so it is better to make your contacts with mentioned acts and ask to get this collector’s item. This is one of my all-time favorites!!!

The name RE_AGENT I discovered the first time on the fourth chapter of the legendary "Futronik Structures" compilation series released by the US label DSBP at the fall of 2003. This one-man project consisting of Justin Tripp hailing from Toronto was one of the outstanding surprises with his dark Electro piece "Heaven Falling" on this comp. Finally Justin has collected all his current works and has released this first official CD. It is a self-released product – unbelievable if you take a deeper look and listen into art and music. Having heard often enough acts like WUMPSCUT or rising US acts like the older stuff of INFORMÄTIK or IMPERATIVE REACTION, Justin tries to work out his own personality in composing, sounds and song structures. Although that also Justin does not create something really new here (but who by the way does create something new???) I am pretty much surprised by his efforts with how much professionalism and good ideas he is able to compose his stuff. "Weak and Wounded" comes here with good distorted vocals and is a track along the known WUMPSCUT line I have already heard in an intrumental version. Majestic and outstanding is "Never Satisfied" and proves that Justin is also able to create more slower tracks which do not push the audience obviously to the dancefloors. Adding to this the Dark Electro pearls "Brain Death", "Die Alone" or the already mentioned "Heaven Falling" plus two good remix works done by PROSPERO and DISPLACER and you can get an imagination what you get here. You can’t go wrong with this release if you are into dark EBM/Electro/Industrial music and again – it is a self-produced release. I think that the big labels of this genre should give up their hibernation and check this band out too. RE_AGENT needs to be signed and is just another fine proof next to WEAVE or FRACTURED of a maybe new generation of Electro/Industrial artists hailing from Canada. Make your contacts and ask Justin to purchase this great release!

Tracklist:

1. Abandon
2. Weak and Wounded
3. Heaven Falling
4. Never Satisfied
5. UWMRFL
6. Brain Death
7. Under Blue
8. Creeping Up On You
9. Heaven Falling (Displacer remix)
10. Weak and Wounded (Prospero remix)
11. Die Alone (demo)

After having released two highly recognized EP’s this band hailing from Berlin releases with ?Assimilation: Chapter One" their first full-length CD. AGONOIZE consist of Mike Johnson, Oliver Senger (both are also members of INFEKKTION and SERO OVERDOSE) and Chris L. (ex-DANCE OR DIE) – names which are well known and should stand out for quality Electro/Industrial music. After listening their CD a few times I still ask myself what I do miss here. There are two remarkable tracks here – the opener ?Death, Murder, Kill" and the final track ?Sheer Naked Aggression" which will lead the whole audience back to the dancefloor, where this band has already made their way up with their successful tracks ?Open the Gate" and ?Paranoid Destruction" taken from their previous EP?s. Both last mentioned can also be found here plus the already known track ?To Paradise". But unfortunately the other 7 tracks do lack a lot of ideas and inspiration. There is surely nothing wrong to present an evil attitude – the names of the track list like "Sexual Violation", "Suffer" or "Die For Blood" show this pretty well – but there are two words which will surely not fit with this release: new and innovative. But the biggest flaw I have found here are the vocals – always aggressive and hard-in-your-face surely, but they lack of inspiration or personality. This cannot be called a real lyrically composition, the vocals just simply seem to be used as another effect here. AGONOIZE are one of these bands which you can easily find also in the roster of labels like Noitekk or Black Rain – just another repetitive SUICICO WUMPUPPY, but with a big reference to the famous Belgium sound slaughter. I really miss something refreshing in their distorted and cold sound structures that would give this band a more outstanding state. It is one of this releases which will work fine on the dancefloors and if you are familiar with acts like TACTICAL SEKT, GRENDEL and so on you can surely check this out. If you are looking for something with more depth and identity you should better avoid this.

This is a first compilation CD released by the internet community www.hotgoth.net hailing from the Salt Lake City area. It presents mainly the music by registered members of this community and they all are more or less well known in the world-wide Electro/Industrial scene. The music included here varies a lot in styles and gives the listener a huge amount of diversity. Tracks ranging from Synth Pop tunes (PLATFORM ONE) to softer Electro (BOUNDLESS), from Dark Electro (SYMBIONT, LITTLE SAP DUNGEON, LEXINCRYPT) to typically US Coldwave Industrial (PROJECT 9, QUEEN BEE), from chaotic Industrial (23 EXTACY, CIRCUIT SURGEON) to somewhat like Death Metal (LORD BEHERIT), which isn’t surely my cup of tea. 12 Tracks in all plus a hidden piece at position 23, this can only be 23 EXTACY with their Punk-like cover version of DEVINE’s disco classic "I’m so Beautiful", which is both outstanding and funny. Other marvelous works are presented here by BOUNDLESS (a new track with damned efficient sequences), LITTLE SAP DUNGEON (with a scary Ambient-like start for their "Dinner Guest") and PROJECT 9 (reminds a little bit to RAZED ?N’ BLACK). This comp lacks a bit that known bands do not provide more new or unreleased stuff (LEXINCRYPT or SYMBIONT) but nevertheless there is a lot of interesting stuff provided here, so fell free and check out the Hotgoth website to purchase this remarkable compilation.