Another new signing for the Canadian label Artoffact, this time a new project done by Richard Duggan who hails from Vancouver. Conclusions to any PUPPYan influences here are totally wrong placed, URCEUS EXIT’s music dwells more into wide fields of enjoyable Synth Electronica, Future Pop (some parts in the title track and also the good piece "Together"...), some Trance/IDM and Tekkno ("Metro – Shy Brothers Remix") elements and also some Ambient-like layers ("These Spots in my Eyes"). This "Metro" SiCD is a 8-track appetizer for soon to be released full length CD "Contra" with a nice and satisfying playing time of about more than 52 minutes. The title track "Metro" comes here in four different versions, but there is only one remix work by a different act (SHY BROTHERS), and this one will push the crowds to the dancefloors. Very danceable stuff is required for a SiCD release and it is rich given here – but this project has as well a dark and experimental side. The bass lines and beats get more experimental, sometimes even distorted on a track "You Taste Like", which is (of course) my favorite here. Also the "Dark Slavery Mix" of the track "Soil" is worth any listening while still servicing any dance attitudes. Richard Duggan’s music shows a wide range of diversity and I haven’t found any weak point. The music is intelligent produced and guaranties an enjoyable listening from track 1 to 8, nice manipulated cover artwork of a driving train constructed by Sam Javanrough, www.topleftpixel.com, too. I can’t await the full length album!

By a quick look at the art work, Justin Brink, a.k.a. Pneumatic Detach appears to be ready to perform some intestinal perforation, gut mutilation or liver ago-puncture on whoever won't appreciate his music... But that probably won't matter because after you listen and dance to this, your liver and your stomach will be so blood-pumped and so contorted from the restless and spastic beats and by the neurotic and aggressive sonics of "[vis-cer-a]" that you'll need to see a doctor anyway... I've listened to it for over 6 times and love the raw and visceral industrial-idm mixture of twisted and saturated hard electronica and scratchy irreverent minimalism that comes accompanied by so much surrounding power and movement. In the continued battle between minimalism of intents and employed waveforms and its complex nevrotic audio assault, is the key to this great recording. Let's see if you dare to stick your hand in the bloody flesh of this sound to look for it and unlock its deepest secrets.
The CD also features a remix by C2 and one by O2 (Mike Wells of Gridlock).

Going beyon the imho horrible cover, PLAYING THE ANGEL is a fantastic album. I know that each time that Depeche Mode release something I'm used to say the same but, if "Exciter" was mid exciting, this new album sees the band reviving their old energy that was lying somewhere under the embers. Just take a little bit of "Ultra", "Violator" and "Exciter" and you'll someway have the sound of PLAYING THE ANGEL. The dark ballads (the six minutes long "I want it all" which has a certain electro experimental closing part that will get remixers mad of joy, "Damaged people" and "The darkest star" that is another six minutes lenght track which closes the album with its slow crawling rhythm) and the dancey tunes are well balanced and also Dave and Martin performances are good as always. This time there's only one instrumental track "Introspectre" which is an albient one that lasts less than two minutes. The next single in my opinion should be "Lillian" rather than "A pain that I'm used to", a track that has the same potential of "I feel loved". Think that after the first thirty seconds I was singing it in my head! The sound is more powerful than the last album and there are more distorted synth lines an less ibm sounds. The guitar il less invasive and sometimes (like on the first single "Precious") it sounds like a keyboard. The songwriting found a balance between the different influences that the band showed on the old albums: soul (check the melodic vocal lines of "John the revelator", rock / blues (check Martin's guitar riffs), ambient (the different pads used on each track). Generally the melodic lines are more dark and catchy but without sounding too melancholic. If you liked "Ultra" you'll definitely love this one. It will be released also a deluxe package of the album with a dvd which contains the 5.1 mix of it plus the "Precious" video a gallery and other stuff. Check our news to read more about this.

I found this to be an unexpected drop in my box. As a DJ remix CD it also seems to be a bit of an unexpected pairing as well in some ways. Two high energy female DJs on a 2CD set by System Records, this creates several minutes of nightclub styled dance music with two distinct flavors. The first is DJ Baby Anne who's overall style is that of the Bass Culture. This femme fatale hails from Orlando, FL and mixes the likes of Malicious Mike, Trixie, Scratch-D (Dynamix II), Mylo, and KMFX as well as dropping a few of her own unique tracks. The second is Jen Lasher, this was the big surprise for me! This cute redhead reveals more of the underground styles between EBM and Synthpop. I found this a pleasant switch from 'traditional' DJ remix projects I've heard previously. Many of the artists she spins have a retro-modern Synthpop flair, some with EBM overtones. I would never have expected to hear Wolfsheim and Covenant on a DJ remix disc! Very nice! She also spins quite a few great tracks I'm previously unfamiliar with by bands such as The Glass, Naommon, Roxanne, The Knife, Mason, Infected Mushroom and one of her own making. The first disc starts out rather 'traditional' to older bass style DJ mixes then slowly transitions into something less familiar and more unique. Overall, I found this to be entertaining and fun to listen to. Not the type of disc I normally purchase but if you are looking for something fun to play at parties and you have a mixed crowd of trendies and alternatives alike, you can get away with this nicely!

The young and growing Swedish label Progress Productions surprises with a new signing from northern territories of this country compared to the previous releases like the young PUPPYan-influenced NECRO FACILITY for example. Because RED CELL play globally said Electro/EBM-Metal Crossover. "Nothing new", some of you would normally argue, but better listen to this remarkable release before you judge too early. I haven’t heard any comparable release, especially with a critical look to some Cold Wave acts hailing from the USA, which gives such a strong dedication on quality EBM/Electro structures like this one. The electronic elements definitively win the fight against the guitar-driven acoustic elements. Genre-typical distorted, so I would qualify the vocals – they make here an evil and powerful appearance but can not surprise. More surprised I am of course by the already mentioned electronic elements which are not only thrown in to get some strange effects. These electronic are in here to build the leading elements in the music compositions this band has to offer, it doesn’t sound cheap and avoids mostly all cheesyness, and with "New Law" you can find also a pure Dark Electro piece with a remarkable melodic element. Satisfaction for all purists is guaranteed here! Other favorites I have found here in "Nothing" with the maybe most effective melodic line here, as well as "Naked", which hits the target with its hard ripping EBM sequences, good melodic influence and – I must say it – redundancy with the guitars. The only flaw I can find on this release – and this really disturbs me – is the definitively too short playing time of about only 38 minutes. You get 38 minutes full of excellent and powerful produced EBM/Industrial-Metal Crossover music for sure, but will the listener accept a short playing time when he can get a full packed CD for the same money from a different band out of this genre? Well, the music is above all averages.