3rd Room
Frame of Mind
unsigned
2007

Frame of Mind is a the latest compilation from 3rd Room, a fairly new act in Italy that was formed in 2006. Even though it is only 4 tracks long, the entire production from the music to the art is a splendor in itself. Once again Fabio Timpanaro (aka Grace Khold) comes to the surface showing his full scale of artistic vision, leaving nothing unexamined. The haunted, chilling whispered vocals of Khay Lenitas stands on its own with tremendous ease. Musically, it brings new light to what some may classify it as "goth" mixing modern drum organization with classical elements produced by synths, and in some cases, you can hear some violin elements as well, which only add to this delicious piece of ear candy.

Immeditately you're pulled into their allure seconds after their first track, "Falling Leaf", begins totally and completley entrancing you without your realization. Each track transitions perfectly into the next, strenghtening their hold even more. By the time the album finishes, you're craving more and since it's only 4 tracks, you find yourself hitting the play button once again.

If I had to pick just one song off this, I would probably have to chose "Inside A Lie" , mainly for the clashing vocals of Khay, going from hushed whispers to a slightly more but yet subtle aggressive nature. I look forward to hearing more from them. This is certainly a band to keep watching.

Score: 10
Written By: Mynx

T3chn0ph0b1a
The Dancefloor Horror: NASA vs INRI
Unsigned
2005

Countdown to launch in 3…2…1… Welcome to starship T3chn0ph0b1a. Your pilots for this trip to the motherplanet of Sidera will be the thrill-kill, zombie addicted alien Snuff 238 Mazend, and his brother, the mechanical 6 stringed wonder known as 5kott Mazend. Your in-flight music will be that of The Dance Fl-Horror: N.A.S.A vs. I.N.R.I. So sit back, strap yourselves in and let your mind succumb to the alien experiments the Mazend boys will perform on you.

The first thing you must be conscious of during your procedure is that this is an EP mainly composed of remixes for “N.A.S.A.” and “I.N.R.I.” with the final track being something out of the ordinary to bring you back to yourselves post-op. The first 2 tracks are the original composures laying the foundation for the remixes to follow.  “N.A.S.A. [Not Antropomorph Space Assassin]” starts hitting hard and fast leaving a trail of deadly venom in your path with harsh growling vocals and demonic screams, all the while prepping you for the injection of a yet to be identified green ooze into your brain via “I.N.R.I. [In Necro Reality Interactive]” At this point your body (and brain) are already falling victim to an unusual numbness leaving you in a vegetative state unable to move, think, or in some of the most severe cases, blink.

The best feature of this album is the “N.A.S.A.” remix done by Mortiis. It take things out of the traditional T3ch style that the beloved alien’s fans have grown accustomed to and has given it a dance feel to it, which seems to also have a slight 70’s disco feel to it.  But that could be me trying to resist the experimentation upon myself at the moment. Another highlight is the XP8 remix done for once again, “N.A.S.A.”. There’s no mistaking the trademarked electronic assault perfectly executed by XP8. Wrapping things up for the landing on Sidera is “H.T.M.L”, an eerie composure of haunting whispers and electronic beeps and blips, which may or may not be implanted there to help your recovery from this mind bending alien abduction.

Keep in mind that this is just the groundwork of things to come and should not be taken as seriously as a standard full length album would be.  “Abduction Starfleet” their first single after the release of this EP is the breakthrough track that shows the direction in which these green blooded alien freaks will be taking in the future.

Have you been abducted yet?

Score: 7
Written By: Mynx

Tanaros

Ah, some pretty fucking sweet music for all you dark electro industrial freaks out there. I would recommend listening to this! His new album, Suicide Note, will blow your fucking ears! On his MySpace he has four songs from the album PsychoRide, delivering one dark, dirgey, brutal type virus to your speakers! I don’t know how to put it into words; they are just so enticing, so indulging and very very addictive. Some of his songs are very lighthearted, such as “Paranormale Aktivitaeten”. His “Arms of Death” track sounds very much like the game Unreal Tournament. If I were to put this song to a video it would go so very well indeed. I would so get this album; it will BLOW your mind! Also, I downloaded his old album a few months ago and I never knew that I would hear stuff like this in my life. All of his songs deliver one huge, powerful punch in your face, guaranteed!

Score: 9
Written by: Joe

Terrorfakt
Teethgrinder
Metropolis Records
2006

Teethgrinder, the latest release from Terrorfakt, is a 17 track blistering rollercoaster of noise in its finest rendition. The standard for the album throughout its entirety seems to be an ongoing repetition of throbbing, jackhammer pounding music, mixed the occasional vocal samples.  From the first to the last track, it seems like one continual piece with varying breaks here and there. The one thing I love about the album is on “Damage” with the line “Everytime I see your face, I want to rip your throat out.” Sounds like most of us with a homicidal darkside, but when listening to this album and someone was to piss you off, you’d probably want to go and rip their throats out, because this album has by then given you a migraine of sorts and is causing psychotic disturbances in your inner psyche.

I wish I could say more about this album, but it's hard when every track is like the last both musically and with its arrangements. If you're one for mind grating sound bringing you past the point of a psychotic no return, then this album is for you. If you're prone to having head splitting migraines, or veins busting behind the eye, then I wouldn't recommend it if you're not into pain. This album should definately come with some kind of warning label similar to the backs of cigarette boxes or prescription medicines. This album truly is a "teethgrinder".

Score: 7
Written By: Mynx

The Birthday Massacre
Walking With Strangers
Metropolis Records
2007

Walking With Strangers is the latest release from Canadian act, The Birthday Massacre.
Musically, their style hasn’t changed much since their Nothing & Nowhere release, but that is ok, as the musical style incorporates a plethora of elements. The group manages to weave an air of enchantment with Chibi’s light & airy yet whispered vocals, but this time around, there are more “rock” elements in the musical compositions, making it an album that is not only highly enjoyable, but danceable as well.
Stand out tracks in my opinion would have to be: “Falling Down”, “Looking Glass” & “Science”. “To Die For” has been updated from it’s Nothing & Nowhere debut & is featured on this album as well.

Score: 10
Written By: Mynx

Transgressor
Seelenschlacht
Unsigned
2007

Transgressor is a relatively new band, founded in early 2006. Their music is a mix of techno/industrial with a twist of a melodic sound. I’m not a great fan of that heavy techno/industrial beat unless it is offering something new and exciting. To me music should be a joy to listen to or stir your emotions in someway, not give you a headache and I find that thudding beat a real pain….literally.

Their first track, “Jugend Aus Stal”, began with the typical techno beat; it was softened by that electro 80’s sounding synth playing through it. This track and most of the others were ok but to me its very same old same old…..heard it all before. I wasn’t really enamored with “No Regrets” on first listening. It was too techno/industrial for my liking but I did like the intro. It had a very atmospheric beginning, almost trance like, then that industrial heavy beat came in. After listening to this a few times it actually grew on me. As I have said, I am not a huge fan of this type of music but it was an interesting track and I think the more I listen to this the more I would like it, definitely a grower and I’m sure all those techno kids out there would love it.

The best track for me was “Seelenschlact”, as it had a real 80’s feel with that electro beat which we all loved to dance to back then. Really liked this track, had a softer and familiar beat to me and liked how the vocal track went over the synth beat. Yeah we old new romantics would love this one, a modern version of a wonderful era. This is the one track that stood out for me and would definitely dance to and listen over and over again. I liked their softer, melancholic sound.

I was totally uninspired by “United States of Fear”, with its really heavy techno beat that gives you a headache, I couldn’t appreciate anything else because that thud was just constantly ringing in my head!!  That same thudding techno beat constantly playing really bores me with political statements over it.  Dull.  One for hardcore techno fans who love headaches and political statements. As for the last track, “Intalah”, it just didn’t go anywhere. Strange intro and despite the topic of what was being said it didn’t move me at all, lacked atmosphere.  This track began softly and lead into that typical industrial beat that if you had a headache you would scream. It offered nothing new and was an easy one to forget.

Not a bad band if you like industrial but I personally would like to see them do more with their dark, electro melodic side.

Score: 5
Written by: JJ

Turmion Kätilöt
U.S.C.H!
Raha Records
2008

This must be mentioned before reviewing the album: U.S.C.H! was on the band's website for free downloading straight from its release. The fans weren't even given an option to pay for the songs. Anyways, the album itself is the third one from this Finnish industrial metal group. It has been made with the good concept of the previous albums: catchy choruses, aggressive metal sounds and certain fun aspect that is clearly visible in the lyrics.

Turmion Kätilöt has made another good album. The music is fast and furious, the vocals even better than they used to be. But I can't avoid getting a feeling that in a way, this is a collection of bits and pieces, some of which resemble each other to the point of being almost similar. That can be a good thing as well: why should an album be smooth? Well, in this case a little more tight-knit package wouldn't have been a bad idea

It would, however, take a lot from Turmion Kätilöt to fail at album making. Probably because of that there's also a right to expect a lot from them. I would like to hear something new from this group. They're always good, even excellent, but that makes me want to have them surprise me again, with something totally...crazy.

Crazy is what this band is, and totally in a good way! They're unique, which is great. Their live shows really are SHOWS. Sweat, blood, erotic acts. The lyrics of the band are again almost genius, at least the ones that are in Finnish. The high points of this particular album are the songs “Kuolemanpäivä” and “Shuttle To Venus”. They're both very powerful songs that make the listener want to jump up and mosh, or do some wild dance moves. “A-rise” is definitely a killer for some fun time with friends. Other than that, I'm not so sure about its greatness: the chorus is great, but the verses not so great. That's something I notice in a couple of other songs too. The title of the most interesting song goes to “Kuolleitten Laulu” (the Song of the Dead), in which we get to hear some Elvis...

While U.S.C.H! is a good record, there's something missing from it; the whole package isn't as tight as it probably could be. Turmion Kätilöt is still one of Finland's finest and most interesting bands, and this sure is an album worth listening to if you like your music heavy but lightened with a touch of groovy industrial sounds!

Score: 8
Written By: Tina

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