Jukio Kallio "Minecraft: The Garden Awakens" (2024)

 

Our latest Minecraft update places emphasis on the quiet unsettled atmosphere of its eerie Pale Garden biome. Upon entering, the games music will cease to play, immersing us in the subtle sounds emanating from the biomes pale blocks. So imagine my bewilderment at learning of an accompanying soundtrack from the drop, given that no new music has been added in game, as a record disc or otherwise. The low key nature of its unannounced release seems even more fitting upon hearing this one new track. Its left me wondering what direction our new composer was given about the new content, as the vibes are completely miss the mark.

Things get off to a great start. Tense strings and disconnected tumbles of tom drums and crash cymbals lead into a dirty bass synth brooding beneath, stiring a ghoulish atmosphere. Its strongly reminiscent of the title screen music from Doom. A few keyboard notes of intriguing melody linger and just before the minute mark, the song erupts with rhythm, a hard thudding kick drum, drives the music into Synthwave territory. Melodic wave synths dance with speedy, cheery nightlife vibes before a brief allusion to the errie opening premise is dispelled again as the dancable percussion returns with more animated melodies far from the expectant Minecraft vibes.

 Its a fine song but ill fit along side the games back-catalog and even more baffling considering the tone of this update. The Trumpet version simply swaps out its VSTs for quirkier instrument tones. The sped up version sounding like nothing more than fluff. The slowed and reverbed original amps up the creepy vibes but its far from a saving grace. It seems now rather obvious why this was such a low key release. A cool song but also a total mismatch for Minecraft standards.

Rating 2/10

Dance With The Dead "Dark Matter" (2024)

 

Synthwave aces Dance With The Dead return again with a tight six track EP. Dark Matter strikes firm and fast, dialing in a two pronged approach to sell its concept. Subduing their ever powerful synths, mid-tempo Industrial Metal guitars step into the limelight. Rocking easy grooves on cushioned distortions, a Familiar breed of Metal manifests, akin to the likes of Gothminister and European contemporaries.

The other angle is collaborative, working with a unique band, like Gunship, or singer on each track. The result? A conforming twist of the arm that has their songs yielding to simple song writing oriented around the verse chorus structure. Vocally, Kat Von D resonates sublimely with a solid helping of reverb on her dreamy chorus hook.

Dark Matter starts strong with Cold As Hell and Neon Cross rocking hard grooves around a whirl of nightly neon synth melodies. The instrumentals then tame, toning down, before finding an ironic peak at the records conclusion, its one vocal-less song hitting the hardest. Rust pounds its rhythm guitar chugs and dense synths in unison.

Cole Rolland then lavishes us in one blazing guitar solo after another, a sweet matching of styles, complimenting well and making for a memorable conclusion as he shreds through so many inspired techniques. A roaring end to a brief record that falls shy of a big impact yet is commendable for its stride to be different through the interesting collaborations offered.

Rating: 5/10

Health "Rat Wars" (2023)

  

Housing four cuts from Ashamed, Rat Wars has been a swift brake in. Retaining their distinct flavor of broody, downtrodden dystopian atmospheres, Health navigate morose and self defeating emotions through the soft, sullen, effeminate voice of Jake Duzsik. Lyrically dark and dejecting, they eerily drift in the cracks of fiery Electro-Industrial pounding. Its inebriating, an alluring chemistry, entrancing and gripping yet on examination, a glum reality composed of crumbling urban sprawl and self abuse.

Many of its thudding kick and bassline grooves feel reminiscent of youthful days, hellbent on escaping ones demons through drugs, enjoying the dance while ignoring the imminent suffering. These entrancing drives of rhythm often feel like falling down a rabbit hole of self delusion. Only (Of All Else) and (Of Being Born) take the foot off the gas, the later sobering up its magnetic march with a grim groan of reality from an earth acoustic guitar to conclude the song. The other explores an acoustic limbo, the plucked strings hold off a frenzy of tense distant synths, ready to unleash in an instant.

 The record is finely crafted, its instruments oozing with texture and intensity, matched wonderfully to serve this nihilistic vision. I fumbled on first listen as Demigods struck me with Deja-Vu. Although not perfectly similar, the same melody can be heard playing out on Old Tower's Moonchamber track. Its amusing how memory works, instantly plucking it out of the darkness. Just a curious footnote for my experience with this darkly persuasive record. Its impressive, will have to seek out more from Health.

Rating: 7/10

Sierra "A Story Of Anger" (2023)

 

Introduced via a collaboration with Health, this French artist fits snugly into the dark electronic music I've been exploring of late. Not fully Synthwave, Aggro-tech or Electro-Industrial, Sierra rests in an inviting middle-ground. With brooding tones, she embarks on gloomy venture through moody indulgences broken up by bursts of dance adjacent energetic movement. Her voice is quite underwhelming, a half spoken presence muttering musings under her breath, occasionally mustering strength of presence. Soft and pleasant, it gets by but lets the focus fall on the instrumentals.

These virtual synths deliver snappy oscillated wave forms in range. From buzzing baselines to jittering melodies, an angular intensity lands these crisp arrangements fit for dystopian night life. Percussion is tight, hard thuds groove off claps and snares, always titled with an Industrial texture. Airy atmospheric synths drift in the gaps of these plucky arrangements, levers that can be dialed for the required direction.

As an album, its a fair listen, an overcast tone is set and explored but nothing much leaps of the page. With exception to Power, a collaboration with Carpenter Brut's who's excellence shines again. Bring about some urgency, sizzling melodies play off background sirens with sinister satisfaction. The albums best track, no doubts.

Rating: 5/10

Health "Ashamed" (2023)

 

Jumping around their discography, looking for an entry, it was this latest single I really latched onto. Health are a Californian trio that have been at it for almost two decades. Having many remix albums intermingled among their main efforts, its a dense wall of releases venturing in collaborative directions. This four track Ashamed has a balanced mix, two originals and two features. Their sound aligns with Agrro-Tech and Industrial Metal. Its similar to Author & Punisher, deploying meaty slabs of noisy synth over subtle distortions like an assault vehicle guided by tight, hard hitting, snappy drums.

The mood is doom and gloom, a synthetic cyberpunk dystopia traversed at night under neon light. Vocals bleed dour, plain and monotone, then ascending with breezy respite when musical chemistry shifts and a little reverb carries them away. This is the transition of its first two songs, a complimenting shift that lines us up for Sicko.

A sample of Godflesh's classic Breed slips into this one, nestled among its rebuilt core bass and drum groove. Recycling its charm, dreary flat vocals drift by in a haze, lining up an alarmist descend of hellish synth to dazzle one in its sudden urgency.

 The last track, featuring Sierra, bustles with a dark dance floor energy, stepping up its pulsing energy to match the likes of Carpenter Brut and Mick Gorden's Doom Eternal soundtrack blueprint. It retains Health's distinctness, a dense wall of harsh synths turned to a gloomy outlook with its softly pessimistic singing. A powerful introduction to a band who's coming full length I am likely to enjoy!

Rating: 5/10

S1gns Of L1fe "The Age Of Cymatics" (2021)

 

This entry serves has a marker of discovery, a favored familiar frontier, voyaged by an artist exploring that magical space between distant stars and our imaginations. Cosmic Ambience, as I've come to call it, the space inspired synth style mastered by Dreamstate Logic, which became an obsession last year. Spotify's algorithms has finally steered me on to neighboring territory. Signs Of Life, presumably using the 1s to distinguish the name, provides a welcome hour of lengthy tracks stiring temporal focus, through dense stellar atmospheres that calm and sooth in their droning.

To deter from my usual astral analogies, I'll get direct. Signs has an approach of intention. Its strengths emanate from visible synths arranged with character and purpose. Bustling on looping melodies, alongside sparse glitched percussion, little feels hidden. The craft doesn't linger in reverberations but strides inline with its projections. Although there is an apt amount of spacious echos for its aesthetic, the spacey mood is thrust forth by bold instruments resonating with one another. Airy pads and lofty synths are present throughout but serve more so as a glue.

I also suspect the VSTs behind this sound are similar, with some bass lines and other tones having an uncanny resemblance. Signs also loves the swells of reverb that shift the music into new phases. One can feelsa greater sense of progression and direction changing on these tranquil cosmic voyages. I'm pleased to have discovered more of this niche to add to my collection, its fantastic music for getting in the zone. This too joins the Temporal Focus playlist. Still searching for more!

Rating: 7/10

Gunship "Unicorn" (2023)

 

Five years proved a worthy wait, Unicorn returns riding into a surreal synthetic sunset of its own design. Fully focused on fundamentals, the British duo Gunship fine tune their classy Synthwave sound, pulling no new strings and sticking to proven ideals. To achieve this, songwriting must reign supreme. That challenge is met with an impressive cast of musical genius. Returning unions with Tim Cappello and Carpenter Brut prevail again, alongside giants like John Carpenter and Dave Lombardo, once of Slayer. An impressive roster, who admittedly appear on the records stronger tracks.

Its catchiest hooks, the lyrically infectious cadences and tantalizing neon synth melodies, a fruitful yield of collaborative chemistry. A delight early on within its loaded roll out. Vocal variety proves a strength, former Fightstar band mate Charlie Simpson, one of the best fits among a talented cast. The band Health bring keen Prodigy flare to the fold and Power Glove seems the most subdued arrangement given there reputation for lively retro VGM inspirations. Ghost plays a sleepy lull between the energetic dance-floor thrusts of Weaponised Love and Darkness For Dreams.

 In this final stretch the record steadies into a soft groove, arriving with less flash in the pan. Focused on its lyrical manifestations of nostalgic imaginations, the lengthy hour traverses its final temperaments with moody indulgences and subdued flavors. The love of craft and care in handling these inspirations percolates its glossy aesthetic, bowing out with strides for anthemic heights that landed off a little to my ears. Unicorn is a brilliant return. Not a perfect record but seemingly the best of their three chapters.

Rating: 7/10

Mega Drive "Arc Ascension" (2023)

With a brief chance to catch my attention, distinct dazzling synths with a certain glossy sparkle about them allured me in. Also present in other tracks, a few of its various VST tones come polished with ludicrous cleanliness. It increases a familiar sense of high octane production within the Synthwave niche. This approach steps up game again, refining aesthetic edges but in conclusion probably not offering anything new.

Typical themes and moods evoking the glow of neon lit cities, thrill seeking vehicle speeds and the underworld night life are stirred competently among dense compositing. Jostling among a dense web of busy synths, each track offers up a smothering plunge of pulsing sounds. I ended up falling to its cruising atmosphere as a ceaseless energy drives the music along, best felt on title track Arc Ascension.

It offers a few slower tempo cuts too, often home to big bass and thumping kicks as the mood turns to a darker leaning. Shadow Dancer stood out for its tropical synth selection and unusual percussive drive. A welcome change of pace but stirs little beyond its initial mood as these compositions tend to rotate and interchange its assembly of melodies, lacking progression or sense of destination beyond identity.

Rating: 6/10

Dreamstate Logic "Starbound" (2023)

Since discovering Dreamstate Logic last year, the spacey music has become a staple in my streams. These cool, cold, cosmic breezes of astral ambience are pleasurable tone setters when focus is required. Starbound is the first new material beyond twelve or so other lengthy release. I wanted to give these seventy five minutes more attention but have since discovered its mostly business as usual. Not that business is bad...

The records instrumental pallet is somewhat indistinguishable from prior creations. This artist seems very much settled on stick to what works. Stellar drones and shimmering dreamy synths lay its atmospheric foundations. When pace musters, sequenced melodies and gentle arpeggios brood steadily among dense galactic reverberations. As momentum gains, its Downtempo inspired percussive lines take charge with punches, thuds, combined for satisfying kick snare grooves.

Most notable on Approaching Aldebaran, do drums and its general mood, slip into the enclave of Synthwave. The buzzsaw's make themselves known among sparse synthetic tom drum strikes. Its a subtle shift but about the only song that showed signs of somewhere new to stride. I did pick up a couple new favorites on the journey, to scratch the itch. Otherwise a fine set of instrumentals fit to serve its purpose.

Rating: 6/10

Gunship "Dark All Day" (2018)

 

With an enigmatic dystopian eclipse cover and suggestion of darker themes among its title, one might suspect a mood shift towards the more sinister Synthwave machinations of Carpenturn Brut. Alas, the opposite seems true, honing in on Synthpop influences a cheery narrative of uplift against struggle prevails, perhaps best exemplified on When You Grow Up, Your Heart Dies. Its christening bells add a resonant gloss of warmth to a spirited battle against the odds, with warm, fuzzy blurts of sentimental language to uplift spirits wedged into its telephone call interlude.

Dark All Day's atmosphere suits its presentation well. Many of the songs hold this ecliptic tension. Punchy bass synths, lined by meaty percussive grooves hold a mean edge against the soar of warm lead melodies and bright instruments acting as the light around this circular edge. Although Thrasher and The Drone Lacing League lean into nightly territory, its the melancholic warmth of its 80s influences that find dynamics to emerge as the narrative resolution. One of inspiration and uplift from hurt.

Stella Le Page and other effeminate voices featured compliment a stellar variety, breaking up the soaring calls of Alex Westaway who sings with a stride in his tenderness. More would have easily been welcome, their contrast a great dimension. Dark All Day is a rare record for me, where the voices really nail the instrumental theme, guiding the aforementioned tensions to a glistening resolution. They were a key component to solidifying these glossy soundtracks of nostalgic imagination. This one is definitely a shade better than their debut self titled Gunship.

Rating: 7/10

Gunship "Gunship" (2015)

 

A gratifying sense of inspiration and class washes over with first impressions. Oozing out the gates with its glossy retro-aesthetic and twinkling melodic might intact, this British duo Gunship stands apart from other Synthwave projects. This is mostly due to its revolving cast of guest vocalists who fill a void the genre's instrumental approaches often leave unsatisfied. Performances conjure the 80s greats. Some more unabashed than others, Peter Gabriel seeming a keen influence. The stylings of Chino Moreno rears itself too. It makes perfect sense upon learning Charlie Simpson is on the record. Turns out, the aforementioned duo are his former band mates from Fightstar.

Behind some fine vocal performances, the pair find wondrous compositions of meaty bass synths churning pulsing grooves alongside competent percussion that leans into the cheesy synth toms of the era with an apt touch. Its a solid foundation, conjuring those nightlife neon-light highway speeding fantasies. Its forward synths crash in with dazzling flushes of tunefulness, overlapping and taking turns as atmospheric layers build cohesion. Sometimes, its care and attention to subtle details in the cracks. More often, the lead notations, carrying the 80s attitude, are its strongest focal point.

Either way, every song defines itself, leaning into the various Synth-Pop styles and song formats of the era. With straightforward structures, verse and choruses swoon with an easy persuasion one will be familiar with. The nostalgia tinted, glossy re-imagination of that decade is approached with such care, this debut Gunship simply turns out songs that last. Carpenter Brut seems a keen influence here, his presence co-insiding with my personal favorites, the chunkier, harder hitting songs of the record.

Rating: 7/10

Gothminister "Pandemonium" (2022)

 

With age comes a diminishing pace. Now five years apart from The Other Side, Gothminister makes a meager return. Seemingly stuck in their ways, this seventh outing suffers its own lack of inspiration. Pandemonium breeds business as usual. A deck of songs, recycling their Gothic brooding theatrics, still tinged with clubbing Synthwave aesthetics and built on the triumphant march of chunky Industrial Metal.

Guitar leads brazenly assail stomping power chords chugging below, a militant syncopation by the rhythm section. With darkly drive, each song lunges forth with a cadence Bjørn Brem has performed before. Lyrical themes echo past musing of outsiders embattled against all odds. Both sentiment and delivery fit an unchanged mold. Lined by rhythmically oscillated synths, both aesthetic and music is expectant.

Getting off to a rocky start, Pandemonium's opening title track toys with an experimentation. The percussion drops convention in favor of unsettled grooves, attempting polyrhythms but seemingly out of step with the rest of this music. Its an odd impression for a record that has absolutely nothing new up its sleeves. Despite being of my liking, a lack of anything fresh lands this one as a disappointment. Although its a fair execution of the Gothminister sound, I'm left with little reason to return again.

Rating: 5/10

Abstract Void "Wishdream" (2021)

 

 

Venturing further into the union of Synthwave and Black Metal, we find elevated production aesthetics that I'm not entirely sure aids the experience. My main gripe is with the vocals. On Back To Reality they served as an incessant groan, elongated barks of discernible noise. Not as intrusive, Wishdream's strides for clarity has the shouts and blemishes of ambitious drum programming break the illusion on occasion.

Otherwise Its a similar animated experience again with little to comment on in terms of progression and direction, its another seven tracks of nighttime adventure taking periodic plunges into the abyss. Glossy, luminous synths and flickering melodies eventually give way to metallic grooves. Dense distortion guitars are notably reserved, leaving much of the colorful charm with its energetic key arrangements.

 

Each song blazes along with similar arpeggio melodies and sharp synth oscillations. A few keyboard solos give some context to direction but rarely does the attempts to break the mold feel gratifying. Beyond the appeal of this union of opposing style, Abstract Void doesn't quite land on anything deeper with this next chapter, even though there is potential. Wishdream essentially serves as more of the same, fitting for the right mood but rarely breaking ones attention with its ambitions.

 

Rating: 6/10

Abstract Void "Back To Reality" (2018)

 

What do we have here? A Synthwave and Black Metal crossover. Is this possible? Anything in music is but that doesn't always lead to success. In the case of Abstract Void this union of styles is slick and smooth, a luscious mix of glossy synths, dense guitars and distant shrill screams. Together, they steer Dance grooves into aggressive plunges as Back To Reality gradually layers on the intensity in its opening stretch.

The atypical night life, neon light vibes finds its balance with an atmospheric approach to Black Metal where slow, lunging Shoegazing melodies bridge the gap in composition. Percussion steers the music into its extremes as drum patterns rattle into blast beats and the like. Consistently emanating dazzling melodies from the layered keys, each song has quite a luminous presence. Glistening in its well crafted resonance, they venture to emotive the grandiose with its epic scaling melodies. Very satisfying.

The harsh yet muzzled screams feel like an afterthought. With such synthetic vibrancy steering the musics mood, the vocals arrive like discernible blocks of noise barely contributing to anything rhythmic. Its a minor blemish of wonderful chemistry that does feel somewhat obvious in retrospect. Although a brilliant union of distant realms, its played down the middle, nothing unique or unheard emerges as a consequence. With a little more adventurous spirit this could of traversed new terrain but to these aged ears it mostly resonated with solid ideas heard many a time before.

Rating: 7/10

Carpenter Brut "Leather Terror" (2022)

 

Its gritty and grisly, a leather clad clenched fist, the blood stained blade and lack of face to identify this anonymous gruesome demeanor... An apt fit for the nightly wailing music that awaits. Sticking firmly by an established, yet darker Synthwave aesthetic, Leather Terror gets pulled on the dusky, nefarious path as sinister symphonic themes and bouts of pounding aggression permeate the overarching mood on this outing.

I'll admit, engagement dwindled. Quite often is cruise control engaged. Sharp pulsing kick snare grooves crusade over devilish synths that hit hard with intense tones and gruesome half melodies hinged on deep groaning textures. They recycle and strike on a similar vein. This string of songs sways between a dread driven demeanor, then contrasted with typical 80s, upbeat Synthpop. Sometimes its thematic transition are jarring, if not for instrumental consistency but the writing reveals itself.

This record is a notably more collaborative project. Ulver returns again for another sublime union on lofty moment of calm. Gunship, Greg Puciato, Persha and Sylvaine led their vocal chords too. Unlike previous mixed results, they all gel well with the song writing vision. The musics power gets by on instrumentals alone but Leather Terror has its harmonious voices in the balance. Interestingly, its conclusive track goes Metal with Jonka bringing both terrifying ghoulish screams and full on metallic drumming to the mix. Its an interesting genre crossroads. Haunting organs fuse the two in a fiery contentious conclusion, by an artist inching closer towards infernal damnation.

 Rating: 6/10

Carpenter Brut "Leather Teeth" (2018)

After a lengthy deep dive through the dark powerhouse known as Trilogy, Carpenter Brut returns with an upbeat, energized vision of Synthwave. Its packaged into a lean eight tracks and Leather Teeth plays like a movie. Its pacing has one song racing to the next, always on the run, changing up location and drenching the listener in a glorious synth overload! Dripping with nostalgia, Brut nails the best of 80s ideas, bringing them to life again through this high octane drive of dance-able songs. Continuously pounding the bass lines, the keys over top rattle off with a consistent buzz, as fast, animated melodies overlap to create a powerful wall of sound.

Along the way a few breaks in tone are discovered. Ironically mentioned in my musings on Trilogy, the man from Ulver himself, Kristoffer Rygg, lends his voice for a track. The combination is perfect! Cheerleader Effect gets treated to his soft power over a thinner instrumental. It gives room for his words to breathe and sets up a couple of mellower tracks to follow. They have 80s jam session vibes with some vibrant lead solos. In these moments a touch of Genesis of that era can be heard. The vocals return again later on, this time with Mat McNerny. His opening Ian Curtis impression stands a little stark and broody but as he gets into it, the music gels well.

Leather Teeth is one of the best Synthwave records I've heard. It surpasses any tropes with the stunning musicianship. It seems that song writing is the core and everything aesthetic just falls into place around it. My favorite moments stem from the lead instruments. Synths solos and Metal guitars really open up the musics dynamics as the arsenal of keys have to lay of the repetition. Its sways from dance to Progressive are well managed and both sides are performed so well. There is little I can fault here but it sounds is if there is many directions this could all be taken in. After all, this has progressed from quite a dark place to something still in rapture but upbeat, casual and groovy with fun vibes emanating. I'm excited for whats next!

Rating: 8/10

Carpenter Brut "Trilogy" (2015)

 

Stead and with patience, Ive been enjoying this lengthy eight minute juggernaut known as Trilogy for some months now. When first recommended the debut album by Carpenter Brut, surely a nod to John Carpenter? I was taken aback by the sheer volume of listeners visible on Spotify. To my limited knowledge, this might just be the biggest artist in the retroactive world of Synthwave? That was excuse alone to invite me in. My caution however, came as a result of fatigue. The genre had established its identity swiftly and now an army of adoring clones has been ushered in, emulating the sound and its tropes to a point where the music can feel stale. At least to this listener.

It took time, but with repetition, then familiarity, the class of these compositions emerged with gleam. Frankly, there is a thematic horror on offer that goes beyond the typical synth tones and nostalgic electricity of Synthwave. Energized baselines prop up steady dance floor grooves for a body moveable warmth to be found in every track, as excursions into the nightly mystique unravel. Often spearheaded by its more extravagant and experiment worbling synths, Brut cracks open whats possible with these dense oscillations on more than one occasion. These moments expand on the mood, with theatrics and noise manipulation turning tunes with twisted expressions.

After a handful of tracks, starting specifically with Roller Mobster, intensity amplifies and the execution tightens up. Although the following music explores temperaments and scenic passages more chilled and cautious, its synthetic instruments arrive with gloss and glaze, a slick polish for its liveliness. The density and weight is stunning as rapid pulses of jittering melodies dance macabre atop its dark thumping percussion. Many instruments interchange, taking center stage , giving voice to the cyber dystopian atmospheres conjured. Trilogy is truly is a wild ride through the neon lit night life of cities but Brut's music takes us much further than the established tropes.

A sense of horror and spectacle permeates as each song finds its avenue. To be fair, they are not to distant from one another but they find a character. At its end, Anarchy Road introduces a one of vocal performance to lukewarm reception. I'm uncertain of Brut's singing. Neither good or bad, the voice is simply present with little in the way of power or persuasion. He sounds like a softer Ulver, waging in meekly. The music so works so well its hard to imagine a voice bringing much more to the table but that wasn't it. Anyways, my conclusion? One of the classiest Synthwave records I've heard. Trilogy is solid front to back and surpasses any tiring that clones brought along.

Rating: 8/10

The Algorithm "Compiler Optimization Techniques" (2018)

 

Here is an interesting project that initially seems akin to the Djent Progressive Metal scene. Its another one man band operation journeyed by French composer and producer Rémi Gallego. The Algorithm, however, seems fundamentally driven by what initially appears to be aesthetic novelty. The chugging low end Djent guitars are sparse, dropping out for lengths at end. Metal oriented musical ideas play second fiddle to its EDM and Electronic happenings. The chemistry converges on a digital computerized landscape. Sharp precision percussion and whirls of spirally, spriting scaling arpeggio melodies serve a cold mechanical slew of soulless exuberance.

The songs play with binary grooves, fast measures of instrumentation traversing temperaments and tempos seemingly of its own whim with only brief moments of expression and voice. The Algorithm is impressive with its distinct style. Modern glitch sounds flesh out interludes as drives of Djent stomps interchange with whirling synthesizes playing out with a spirit similar to its psychedelic 70s origins. A couple spurious flashes of dance floor groove and other conventions arise along the lengthy journeys but the music mostly plugs away like an automation, a digital intelligence.

This cold, mechanical lifelessness is a double edged sword. Its many arrangements, which each song burns through, come in varying degrees of charm. The lack of physical voice and emotional through line give it little to anchor on. Its perfected VST performances are most often without humanity. Sometimes a wondrous adventure into something alien. At other times its a meaningless grind. A couple of great moment emerged. The end to Sentinel Node gets off an expression with a nightly Synthwave lead to conclude and Fragmentation drops its rapid instruments for a slow tempo brooding of cosmic darkness very akin to Oscillotron, a very welcome familiarity.

Rating: 5/10

Andromida "Hellscape" (2021)

 Naturally my enjoyable experience with Voyager had me curious for more. Clicking play on Hellscape, I immediately knew what would be next on the playlist. Kicking of with Havoc, the album blasts off with a banger of bouncy low end djent riffs and siren synths painting the hellscape its title suggests. The album art too hints at whats in store, as this particular approach to Metal with a heavy dose of dystopian Industrial synths is in tribute to composer Mick Gordan and his atmosphere defining Doom Eternal soundtrack, which aesthetically caved itself a niche in the Metal universe.

Sadly, others replicating this fusion of textural guitar barrages and hellish saw synths on overdrive tends to be hit and miss. Opening with its best track by some distance, Havoc embodies the best of this aesthetic. For the album experience Hellscape feels constrained by the narrowing options sticking to such a temperament imposes. Unable to escape the drive of eight string might and gravity warping synths, its flushes of string symphony always tied down to the monstrous weight of its dark demonic roots.

Subtle club drum grooves and nightly Synthwave vibes emerge on the journey. scenic guitar melodies expand horizons but the climax always falls back to the chug riffs and evil slam of the synths. As the album draws on, I'm reminded of Skrillex and the Dubstep drop fad, as the machinations of these two seem to get progressively more random and obnoxious in search of new grounds it never quite lands upon.

Only briefly on a couple of occasions does the intensity let up for some atmosphere. The respite serves it well but as the demonic onslaught marches on, it becomes clear this is a tribute to the game. It feels like a compliment to the Doom experience, the unrelenting tensions and onset of dread as demonic hordes descend feels intentional. Hellscape is a love letter to the style from a very competent musician and producer. Unfortunately for me, the style doesn't quite amount to more than the sum of its parts.

Rating: 6/10

Dance With The Dead "Driven To Madness" (2022)

 

With several years passed since my plunge into Dance With The Dead's albums, this lively return, polished of with an aesthetic upgrade, has re-invigorated my interest in the band. Bolstering their metallic adjacent temperament with brimming distortion guitars and equally aggressive synths, the duo pivot musically to something akin to a breed of Synth-Metal where the horror inspired Retrowave aesthetic meets modern Metal song structures and metallic themes in somewhat of a perfection union.

This charge of ten songs is kicked of by a symphonic horror treat as John Carpenter lends his classic theme melody style to the opening March Of The Dead. The record then shifts into gear, stomping down with chunky aggressive grooves, interwoven by stylish, creepy movie inspired synth melodies. At times it embodies an Industrial Metal temperament, reminiscent of Rammstein in places. This aided greatly by its gorgeous instrumental textures that make the music a pleasure on two fronts.

With crystal clear instruments churning away in this superb production, one will pick out favorites among the grooves and melodies but one thing feels strikingly absent, vocals! Somewhere early on there was a soft choral choir voicing used but other than that its a wordless affair that I felt really needed a persona up front to guide its verse chorus structures. As someone who isn't all to captivated by lyrics it was peculiar to feel its absence. With compositions being recycled and only the occasional guitar solo to give it a voice, I could really see a commanding presence at the front elevating the songs. Other than that, this was a much better execution of everything they had striven for in the past, at least to my semi critical ears!

Rating: 6/10