After some improvements and the building of the Hungarian base, this original Russian label returns with the release of another debut, this time of the trio of SCHYZZO.COM. They made a first promising appearance on the international recognized "Post Alcoholic Body Syndrome (Death) Vol. 1" compilation, out and still available on Advoxya Records. So also their track "Complexity" is still present here, but here available in a special extended version. SCHYZZO.COM surprise from the first to the last track with well produced Electro/Industrial music, at times mixed with some Techno elements. The special thing on SCHYZZO.COM is their kind, how to integrate distorted and overdriven rhythm patterns in their music. This music is definitively not related to Powernoise, it belongs more to latest TBM releases like COMBICHRIST - on the harder and danceable tracks like "Mistress" or "Do It!" they remind me a bit on the later HOCICO with some more distortions. The music is more like DIVE on speed, by following current sequencing abilities. Personally I prefer their "real" compositions like the mentioned tracks, and also "Output Of My Mind", which gives some nice worked out synth layer sounds and awakes a real Dark Electro feeling - well done! What I would like to criticize is the order of the track list - this whole album would be more accessible if they could decide, to point out the mentioned tracks better and place them nearer to the start of this album then to the end. On the other hand, this album has enough surprises in stock - lastly with the real Powernoise-like "Slow Porn", which surprises with its well worked out distortion effects. A lot of fine stuff to be pick up here - this is another fine and promising release of the growing Advoxya label.

This new showcase of the Swedish Plutonium label is more than a simple label compilation, it represents the rich and active content of several acts of the Three-Crowns country. And so several guest appearances can be discovered here and all featured acts here do their best to give a convincing listening as well as a rich amount of diversity in styles. Things start well with the opener PROJECT-X and a special remix done by COBALT 60 on their track "Stay Awake" - not that expected straight EBM piece but still decent done. MORTICIANS, Plutonium’s very own recording act, comes next here and give us already a new piece from their upcoming next release. AUTO-AUTO are one of these uncountable Synthpop acts somewhere comparable with the known ELEGANT MACHINERY and several reminiscences taken of the Pop/Wave influences of the Eighties. One of the highlights of this whole comp follows then with the one-man act CRYO, recently signed to Progress Productions. Their track "The Pain" combines old school EBM structures with well sounding male vocals and mysterious sounding synth layers - marvelous played, definitively a track which makes me eagerly awaiting their debut CD. CJ Parker comes next and built a smile on my face regarding their Diva-like vocals and its content. WHITECHAPEL is one of the upcoming acts on Plutonium, a female leaded act combining almost Dark Electro with some harder rhythms - maybe the Swedish answer on acts like PSYCHOBITCH. DIN STALKER comes next with an instrumental piece and presents a convincing synth play, while the effort of PSILODUMP can’t grab attention. We are in the middle of the running time of this comp and some more or less average stuff takes part here. NORTHERN ELECTRIC is also one of the upcoming acts recording for Plutonium and they present here an old school influenced EBM piece with German lyrics. Next act is SADAKO’S FURY and they mix Electro elements with Rock’n Roll - uuhm, here we get good male vocals mixed with distorted percussion efforts - stuff which needs some habit. INSTANS is the lesser distorted Electro/Industrial side-project by SEVERE ILLUSION. Lesser distorted means here that this effort by both Ulf Lundblad and Fredrik Djurfeldt is more straight and linear. Distortion and destroying elements are still present of course, but for INSTANS it sounds more programmed and lesser influenced by chance. Also the vocals and its effect penetration differs from SEVERE ILLUSION, although I must say, that they could be better placed in the floating mix of this track. The north Swedish duo MICROBODY comes next with a hard old school EBM piece called "Consumer’s Decay". It is a hard and fast paced track which awakes some Punk reminiscences. ETERNITY RANGE is a side-project by a MORTICIANS member and they play a dark and slow form of Synthpop - a very beautiful piece. AKEUM SON is a French/Swedish connection and they also definitively explore the harder and darker side of Electro/Industrial. Comes then SEVERE ILLUSION with a new track which moves into a new and different direction than their latest releases. Minimal synth play, chaos and destroying elements are reduced to almost zero, surprise, surprise! Unexpected stuff and it definitively bound me at the headphones for some more rotations to get conformity in it. The duo of TWZ is also back here with an amazing new piece "Terror Cell" and their development in vocals and music is nice to see/hear. Follows then THE PAIN MACHINERY with a hard, fast and chaotic noisy track which differs a lot from the latest release "Hostile" - maybe this piece is a bit older here? Finally this comp ends with another instrumental piece of a project TRASHCANDOGCHOIR.
Also this compilation lives a lot from its exclusive content and the unexplored talents which seem to be so damned rich present in Sweden. Definitively a good initiative and I hope for some continuations.

Tracklist:

01 Project-X - Stay Awake (Insomnia remix by Cobalt 60)
02 Morticians - Overlords
03 Auto-auto - Dog
04 Cryo - The Pain
05 CJ Parker - Beutiful Boys
06 Whitechapel - Dead Channelz
07 Din Stalker - Ohne Zuschlag
08 Psilodump - Vuoksa
09 Northern Electric - Normal (neu)
10 Sadako's Fury - Once upon a time
11 Instans - Break the Glass
12 Microbody - Consumers Decay
13 Eternity Range - Goodnight
14 Akeum Son - The Infinite Power
15 Severe Illusion - In your hostile little face
16 TWZ - Terror Cell
17 The Pain Machinery - Empathy
18 Trashcandogchoir - Our Engines

With Deathpropaganda Records we welcome a new Swedish label on the map of Experimental/Electro/Industrial music. TWZ, a shorten term for Time Wave Zero, are presenting their debut musically mainly based into the Dark Electro field with an experimental background. It is a bit hard to find a comparable act somehow and I got the feeling that TWZ try hard to figure out their special sound away from current trends. Some influences of acts of ALLIED VISION are present, maybe less aggressive and bombastic. Definitively a release which needs some more rotations to grow on you, but for sure worth to check out. Favorites can be found with the KLINIK-like "Deathwing" and the stompy "Certain Death". The only flaw can be named in the kind how this duo works on the vocals and how they get effected – it wouldn’t be wrong to fill in some clearness for a better understanding. The artwork is outstanding, a high glossy art filled with lyrics, photos and lots of info – very well done, especially for a newcomer. The label Deathpropaganda could also lately find an agreement with the known Swedish Plutonium Distribution, so that this and all their upcoming releases will present well and available in better conditions. Definitively a release to pick up, but you have to give it some patience until it can convince. The band works already on new stuff and a first piece can now be heard on the new "Plutonium Showcase Vol. 2" compilation.

In A Sense is the new project of John Sepulveda (do you remember his previous one called Matrix?) and Steve Ferraro. The fifteen tracks of their debut album SECLUSION ideally continue the musical approach of the early Matrix stuff keeping the synthpop elements and adding to them a certain European e.b.m. flavour. Each track contains something valuable that with a better production (I don't know why, but the sound it isn't explosive even if if it is pumping out of my speakers) could find a wider audience. On the album there are also the three tracks of the demo that I reviewed a couple of years ago ("Passion In Your Eyes", "Beautiful Girl" and "Will You Be There Sometimes") which are in my opinion their best ones because they gather good melodies, a driving rhythm and simple but catchy melodies. Unfortunately the sound production sometimes make sound Steve's vocals similar on each track and this is a pity because the band has a good sense of melody and the songs could be good dancefloors hits. The CD contains also four remixes: "Why - Tragic mix by Matrix" (similar to the original version but without the rhythmic section), "Passion is your eyes - Virtual Vamp remix by Chinese Theatre" (they changed a slightly the sound giving to the song a robotic sound), "Ultimate sacrifice - GASR remix" (now it sound more e.b.m. than the original version) and "Passion in your eyes - Wave in the head remix" (the remix sound more dreamy and eb.m.).

Belgium hard hitters No. 1 strike straight and steady back! Again released under their very own sublabel Machineries Of Joy, a COP side-label, they present us here their officially 9th release. And I can say it in advance, there are not to many changes in the music of Sven Lauwers and Andy De Decker. They still spread out their vision of Neo Body Music, how they do call it. For the very few of you who haven’t heard anything from this duo in the past 14 years, they are one of these old school EBM bands mainly influenced by classic and veteran acts like NITZER EBB, old POUPPEE FABRIKK or PARANOID. Hard ripping bass lines, combined with a steady kick and snare work and a male shouter following the "muscle-hate-machine" theme – currently this old formula receives a lot of success and attention, especially with a look on both acts recording for the Out Of Line label, SPETSNAZ and PROCEED. IONIC VISION in between set the measuring lath of quality on a very high level. "Actual" is for sure their best piece so far and I don’t say this because it is the newest. A lot of people still have their official full length debut "Rage Against The Acoustic" released back in 1996 on Celtic Circle Productions in a good memory. "Actual" is against to this classic the perfect combination between the old roots with the modern technically possibilities of today - from the first to the last track here is no real filler. IONIC VISION have reached the top of what is possible with this kind of music – thanks also to the excellent studio work of the hidden third member of the band, brother Louis Z. So you’ll get here the full dose of 100 % EBM music inspired by the veterans of this genre. It is impossible to sit still with this music – get it!