A surprise find to me, really. Very different compared to their EP Transition, which was the one I had heard before this. It's not strictly hip hop any longer (if the band ever really was, I don't know). Heavily symphonic and slightly experimental "trip hop". They are more cinematic and edgy this time around.
Excellent sound and integrity. These guys are professionals at their trade. What they lack, if it can be put to words, is sheer emotional strength in their chosen sound.
Really surprisingly good. It's a long album filled with calm yet sometimes threateningly introvert moods. Nothing especially strikes out (apart from a couple bits of sound collage), it's a subtle work demanding patience. I just get a strange feeling when I listen to this album. Let's just say the cover sums it up perfectly... emotionless, apart from being curious, seeing the world from a new view.
Sounds normal but has a very alien sense of logic. It's minimalistic dance (or such, not that well-versed on electronic genres) that progresses little by little, adds some, reduces some, repeats, repeats, ends. It's an interesting concept. Even though it leaves a slightly dry taste in your mouth... Maybe as a longer release it would work better.
Off-beat and ominous ethnic ambient. On my first listen I got no strong feelings for the release one way or another. On additional listens I began to appreciate the truly ambientic effect of it, and my mind began to wander appropriately. Some images of foreign lands, perhaps, and night. If there was one thing that broke the illusion once in a while it was the more obviously electronic effects that come up at a couple of places.
The third song (as I've seen others note) does not fully fit to the release, but it is not a bad song on its own. If this release's style allowed for more experimentation and genre-shifting, it would be appropriate, but as is, it's just something slightly skewy amidst the solidary beauty of the more subdued tracks.
Subtly progressing yet solid stuff. Despite having a mature sense of volume dynamics, the album retains a pretty brutal mood for all its length. Very strong industrial overtones.
On to the bad things:
- The noise at the beginning and the end of "Take 2 Too" is bound to create damage to your ears.
- Strange gap of silence at the end of "Take 2 Too".
- Well... I'm not a big fan of the clean vocals on "Pull The Trigger" either...
Other than that, really shows promise and leaves you wanting for more.
Hopefully these attempts to put this music into words does not in effect trivialize it in the least, because the most important part is simply experiencing it.
Immersive soundscapes that are both machine-like and organic. Perhaps a lacking analogy, but to me it's like the soundtrack to the life of some primordial being lurking inside a huge machine. Alternatively, it could be something straight out of some survival horror game's BGM, (especially if it were beat-less).
It's extremely well produced and at least on the purest basal state it can absolutely not go unnoticed. It will easily dishevel the listener, a certain sign of some sort of power in the music.
Not a pleasant listen, but it's just so effective it's amazing. Gets to you every time.
Minimalistic and ponderous electronic music. The instruments might not sound impressive at first, but getting stuck on that particular point would be an underestimation and misjudgement of this album. In effect it is really hypnotic to listen on a longer basis (and just look at the track lengths...). This is the sort of music which makes time stop when you put it on. Suddenly there's no hurry in the world. This album adheres only to its own laws of physics and ideals, it's a world of its own. At the very least its a passing reflection of something objective, not conceivable by words.
I give it only 4 stars out of 5 because towards the end the effect seems to disperse a bit. Still, a very captivating listen.
A short symphonic black metal EP. Music is complex and interesting, synths delightfully over the top, vocals necessarily gruff and grim, playing professional with nothing wrong with it. If this was a LP with all the songs as good as these three, this release would get 8 or ever more. But at this length it just gets your mouth wet with anticipation.
Strange work spanning many genres. Most of the time overbearingly complex beats and constantly switching instrumentation create a chaotic soundscape which portrays as many hopes, dreams and fears as may generally exist in a metropolis. This album is just so much - from atmospheric, gentle symphony to harsh trip hop to dark ambient to unclassifiable and onward, lasting a thick 76 minutes. It's a release whose ambition no one can deny, and which will truly captivate you if you just let it.
The music is good, pretty versatile and also relaxing. Mix is not optimal, but it's not a big deal. The main reason of this rather "low" grade is because it's so short, less than 5 minutes long. This sort of music would work the best in longer doses.
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