| CD REVIEW Alfa Matrix Special #2 : Implant – I:Scintilla – Krystal System – Leaether Strip – Zombie Girl |
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Alfa Matrix Special #2 : Implant – I:Scintilla – Krystal System – Leaether Strip – Zombie Girl Well, special N°2 is here, and I worked my ass off to get it ready in time for your X-Mas…enjoy! Band : Implant Implant (which is the project of Belgian Len Lemaire) has been releasing stuff through Alfa Matrix since 1996, and of course, the fact that we only got connected to the label’s iPool in early 2007 means we’ve missed out on most of ‘em…but somehow we did this guy (and a couple of his labelmates) the injustice of neglecting to download his most current full-length studio album Implantology, which was released in May of last. Lemaire has been contributing to the Belgian electronics scene since 1992, and has not only released a total of 8 full-length albums and 7 EPs to date, but also done countless remixes and productions. At a certain moment ‘80s legend Anne Clark heard his remix of her song “Sleeper In Metropolis”, and this led to Lemaire becoming her live band for 5 years, as well as her guest contributions to Implant albums Self-Inflicted (2005) and Audio Blender (2006). Front 242’s Jean-Luc De Meyer then heard and Implant song, and decided not only to contribute vocals to an Implant song, but also to start up a new project with Lemaire under the 32Crash monicker [Aha…now there’s a name I remember from past connections with this label : the band’s 2007 EPCD Humanity was one of 2 items not to be included in the special on Alfa Matrix bands I did in Summer 2007 for reasons of being “too electronic” – a rule inflicted onto me at that time by the editor-in-chief. Well, no such rule imposed on me this time around (as you might’ve guessed), I’m going ahead full-heartedly!]. Having followed up his previous release with concerts all over Europe (and a short trip to the US), Lemaire got to work on Implantology, a vast work which was to see him incorporate all the various influences he went through during his musical career. Besides the usual electronics, it also sees him incorporate some acoustic guitar in his music for the first time, and gets vocal contributions from not only his 32Crash partner in crime (on the song “The Dive”) but also from Neon Judgement’s Dirk Dadavo (on “Rip That Thing”) and others (Psy’Aviah, Plastic Noise Experience, and Angelspit!). But this is about the new EP, which not only contains 3 completely new songs, but also a total of 9 remixes of Implantology songs. The title track seems to have been the most popular, as you’ll find no less that 4 versions on the album (remixes by Studio-X, Mizuh, Prune Flat, and Midnight’Mare – the latter 3 the wiinners in a remix contest organized by label & band). It speaks for the remixers’ creativity, that all versions now sound completely different…just how different they are from the original I cannot tell, not having that in my possession for comparison needs. “The Dive” also got two different remixes (one by Daniel Myer under the Renegade Of Noise monicker, the other by Shiv-r). Which leaves “Rip That Thing” (as manipulated by System FX), “Out With the Old/ In With The New” (as rebuilt by Erector), and “Scared” (in cult French act Buzz’ “Ashkelon” version – dó I hear an added guitar in there? Why yes, it IS!). Which totals a mere 55 minutes of listening time…and that for an EP! Sure, you’ll need to be open-minded enough to go for the mainly Industrial Dance geared versions and tracks, but the layered structures and occasional short drones (by all means be sure to check out the Implant originals “Nothing Left To Kill”, “I Feel”, and “On Hands And Knees” when you get a chance to) should be enough to haul over quite a few music freaks from other genres to Lemaire’s music…as re-constructed by others in the same field of music (as can be concluded from the 3 un-touched Implant songs). Source to find out whether an Implant should be on your shopping list next time you go to town, is myspace.com/implant. Personally, I have to say I only started to enjoy this “EP” the second time I let it swing around in the cd-player. Having read the bio in between also aided to understand the artist, which in my case always leads to enjoying what the artist in question offers…and while this EP won’t quite make my year-lists, it was, is, and will be a nice listen this X-Mas! Enjoy your implant!!! 90/100 Band : I:Scintilla Another happy return to Casa Tony with this Chicago based quartet. For info on the band’s past prior to Summer 2007, please consult the review I did on the band’s official debut album Optics (featured in the same Alfa Matrix special as mentioned above, posted on 24/08/2007). In between, the line-up went through a couple of changes. Like Chad Mines relinquished his bass duties to newcomer Bethany Whisenhunt, adding another focal point on stage (call it what you will…and I’m certainly not mentioning this to demish the girl’s instrumental capacities, which are, simply said, móre than just adequate…but put a female on stage and the guys will come droning in to check her out…that the nature of the male beast, ehr…human!) alongside singer Brittany Bindrim. Also, for reasons unexplained, drummer Vince Grech is no longer there…meaning guitarist/ synth player/ programmer Jim Cookas has seen his activity on the drum machine increased. Not having made any comparisons myself in my review of their debut album, you may be interested in being told that the polished and seductive voice of Brittany has often brought the band comparisons to the likes of Garbage, Evanescence, or even Theatre Of Tragedy, while the intricate layers of guitars and synths surrounding her more aggressive vocals have brought the band closer to artists such as Gravity Kills, Stabbing Westward, White Zombie…and even Nine Inch Nails! Truth is (and I’m simply using the label’s words because they are, in essence, the simple truth) “…their combination of hard-edged Industro-Goth, crunchy guitars, Trip Hop beats, psychedelic grooves, intense female vocals and whirling electro mayhem is addictively catchy and furious all at the same time”…, with the group “…finding its force in its unique ability to seamlessly jump genres from fast paced saturated tracks, to electro songs with a lighter feel…all with a constant charismatic and alluring attitude…”…to put it simply, and I’ve used that word a couple of times on purpose, to be able to tell you that this band’s music is everything but just simple, and instead a true treasure for those willing to open their minds to it! This new EP is perfect evidence of the genre-jump ability, with the opening title track being the perfect example of the Electro side of the band (thing I was asking myself: what would a guitarist do on stage during such a song…does he take a short break…perhaps excite the audience into a dancing frenzy?) and the following “Ammunition” and “Hollowed” rather examples of their more aggressive type of Industro-Goth-Rock/Metal (but not without a difference : the first is fast-paced and truly explosive, laden with Industrial Metal angst…the second is calmer and catchier, closer to Electro Rock). Thanks to the label, that’s nót all you get on this EP, because Alfa Matrix has enough remixers in its family to change a mere 15-minute affair into a 41-minute stomper, worthy of the money the fans would have to lay down in order to get it! The title track was sent out to Zombie Girl’s Sebastian Komor, Studio-X, and Cylab, making for three versions which are quite different except for the vocals…well, that ain’t quite truthful, because in the second version the re-mixer did sómething to the vocals. I dunno whut, but they’re somehow different anyway. And a good thing that is, too, because listening to the same lyrics in a row can become quite fatiguing. At any rate, I wish they’d put óne of the two other “Prey On You” re-mixes at the back of the EP (behind the C/A/T re-mix of “Ammunition” and the Die Warzau “Indigent” remix of “Hollowed” – both loosing their guitars in the process towards a 100% electronic approach of the songs) anyway! I mean, that is really my ónly “negative” comment here! Because if one thing cannot be denied, it’s that I:Scintilla definitely belongs to the top female fronted acts on Alfa Matrix. Check out what’s posted at myspace.com/iscintilla or iscintilla.com to get an aural impression of the words above! Me, signing off, giving above release maximum points, year-list nomination…out! 98/100 Band : Krystal System And back on again…or we wouldn’t get any further with this special! Okay, time warp back to April 2006, and to French capitol city Paris…where Bonnie (vocals & guitar) and N°7 (vocals, synths & machines) decided to unite their talents. Originally going by the name Krystal, the two took an uncompromising stance against the eclectic music they were about to make, using elements of dark Elektro, Cold Wave, Industrial Rock, and Metal, which the label describes sounded like when you “…take Lush’s sensual Indie Pop tone, a touch of Birthday Massacre’s Goth Metal femininity, inject a dose of heavy guitar riffs and straight attitude…pour all these into a mélange of Dark Elektro sequences and upbeat Electro beats, along with Bonnie’s provocative vocals in French and English…”. In 2007 the duo won the international Cravefest video awarrds, and after some concerts in France and Switzerland they signed to Alfa Matrix, renaming themselves as Krystal System in the process. They then upgraded their studio environment, and contributed their version of “Master And Servant” to the compilation Alfa Matrix Re:covered – A Tribute To Depeche Mode…for which they won the best price. The duo then decided to completely re-write 6 of their songs from a new sexy and dominant Electro Industrial perspective. It’s those individually diverse but somewhat alike Voodoo Night Sessions (along with a Swan remix of their version of “Master And Servant”, in which even the routined Depeche Mode fan will have trouble recognizing the original), which we find on this EP. Well, their “New World” is available here in a remix by Sky Industry (still has all the elements one would expect from KS though). Who cares, what matters is that we get an insight of what to expect from the full-length, and I for one am ever-so-happy that I happen to be the only one in the Concrete Web crew volunteering to review the kind of music Alfa Matrix releases! Because it gives me a sense of security to know I’m gonna get to review Underground as well, you know (now let’s just remember to remind the editor-in-chief to check out the label’s iPool in time!). As the label mentions, Krystal System will find a comfortable home in the Alfa Matrix family, seated in the same “room” as Helalyn Flowers, Tamtrum, Trisomie 21, and I:Scintilla! I’m awaiting the full-length with a certain degree of anticipation, as will you when checking out whatever audio/ video material might be posted at either krystal-system.com or myspace.com/krystalfoundation. By the way, the full-length is apparently already available for pre-order, both in its regular as in its special edition (2-CD) version. 98/100 Band : Leaether Strip Having given you a comprehensive history of this Danish sound engineer in the reviews of his albums The Giant Minutes To The Dawn (posted 24/03/2007) and Aengelmaker (posted somewhere in late March of this year and containing an extensive update) there’s really no reason for me to go into that all over again. In stead I’ll concentrate on the material at hand on this new album by Claus Larsen (the name behind the one-man project). As the title of this album implies, this is a compilation album off sorts…in fact the 5th of its kind, and especially compiled for the hadrcore fans who all contributed to make Claus Larsen’s return to stage (see also review of The Giant Minutes To The Dawn) so unforgettable. Released on the artist’s birthday, the 2-CD album contains a total of 27 rarities. For starters, there’s 9 early demo tracks which were among Larsen’s first work ever (one of which, I guess, “Fluidity”, a tribute to French keyboard wizard and sound engineer Jean Michel Jarre). Then there’s some special unreleased studio versions of songs which the artist has been playing live this year, such as “Kill A Faetish”, his anti facist skin anthem “Aeghty Aeight (US Mix)”, and the great new version of “Don’t Blame Your Soul” (all of which are pretty long tracks, but still the best of what’s on the album – I suppose a certain recognition factor helps in that regard). Additionally, we also get the (truly great) intros the artist wrote for his shows in Cologne (“The Battle Of Cologne”) and Gothenburg (“Gothenburg Noir”). And on the second disc the artist also reveals a bunch of new remix collaborators with Die Krupps treating “Genetic Fuckup” (off Aengelmaker) to a rebuild, Titans and Autodaph doing the same to “Don’t Tame You Soul”, Project Pitchfork fooling around with “Strap Me Down” (again off Aengelmaker), and Netz and Logic Eats Reason re-arranging “We Are Dust” (also originally on Aengelmaker). Personally, I like Leatherstrip’s regular studio albums better, because they show a straight-forward purpose in bringing the concept he’s occupied with at that moment in an overall more unified type of music. This, musically speaking, somewhat more diverse compilation needs more time for one to get into, and the total length of the affair (twice over 75 minutes) doesn’t help either. However, for those among us with the stamina to persevere (and I dó count myself among that type of people) and open their minds to other genres, there’s certainly enough…ranging from Electronic Industrial to EBM, over Electronic Orchestral Gothic…to enjoy and listen to, over and over again (that’s really the best way to get acquainted with this man’s music, and seen as I’m forseeing some time off from the website’s duties in these last days before X-Mas, some additional listening sessions is exactly what I’m gonna treat myself to)! Now I’ve been pondering about whether to rate this album, or not! On the one side, there’s quite a bit of material I never heard before, on the other side this IS a compilation…and the latter is really the decisive factor in a no-go on the ratio! And while I’m not inclined to add the album to my year-lists at this very moment, the additional listening sessions just may change that point of view! Band : Zombie Girl After having encountered “her” a first time with 2007’s full-length Blood Brains Rock ‘n’ Roll (review posted 22/03/2007 and still available for info-needing purposes), this is the second time I crossed paths with Zombie Girl, and got away undamaged…or almost! Because there’s no way one can come in contact with the music of Norwegian studio guru Sebastian Komor and the hypnotic/ sensual boice of his Canadian wife Renee Cooper-Komor, without being affected/ infected to some degree! Their new EP (and with 9 tracks and a total length of just over 38 minutes, you’re getting your money’s worth, I’d say) has that same intriguing effect. The duo start off with a really great Industrialized version (IS there a guitar in there?) of John Carpenter’s legendary tune “Halloween” (for once with vocals only from Sebastian) and go on to give us new original tracks with the more than creepy lullaby “The Ones Who Walk At Night” (with the duo performing their vocals in perfect duet) and the wonderful short instrumental “From Below”. The latter crunched in between several alternate versions of older (hit) tracks (from their debut full-length, 2007’s Blood Brains Rock ‘n’ Roll you get 2 version of “The Darkness” : one a “Darker mix” by Sebastian himself under his Komor Kommando moniker, the other the original demo version of the track; from the same album comes “Gonna Getcha”, here in a very heavy remix by Drone; going back in time even further, to the duo’s 2006 debut EP Back From The Dead, we get served re-mixes of hit songs such as “I Want It” by Ivardensphere, “Creepy Crawler” by Virtual Terrorist, and “Bleeder” by Seb ‘O’ Tron 2000b). Shit…whom have I been fooling here…I must be zombified!? Why else would I have a night job that makes me shun the daylight, why else would I work my ass off through nine other Alfa Matrix releases, to end in sublime manner with this Zombie Girl? Why else would I give the EP a perfect rating and nominate The Halloween EP into my year-lists, unconditionally? 98/100 Tony. |
