ALBUM REVIEWS - Submitted by myself and MIke T

SAM - Destruction Unit
As soon as I received this CD I grabbed a pair of headphones and took a listen... And my god, it got me moving from the very beginning and wouldn't let me stop! I happened to be DJing the night of and played out the second track "Endkampf" which had the same effect on the audience as it did on me. I was always a big fan of the previous album, but I definitely think this one is a step up. Its a combination of grindy industrial noise and techno that makes you want to grab some boots and stomp. With remixes by Soman, Reaper, XOTOX, C/A/T and Modulate you really can't go wrong.

- Tamara

NACHTMAHR - Feuer Frei!
Nachtmahr is Thomas Rainer, which if you don't already know is also behind L’AME IMMORTELLE and SIECHTUM - So he is no stranger to producing amazing music. NACHTMAHR is perfectly constructed dance floor music, it forces you to get on the floor and won't let you leave. Its a perfect combination of Techno, Noise, and Terror EBM which can appeal to many different audiences. I also own his first NACHTMAHR release "Kunst Ist Krieg" which as a DJ I witnessed become a dance floor favorite all over the US in a short time. His second release is no different, its just been released and already is spreading like wildfire.

- Tamara

Rabbit Junk
It's not just a sweet name, they have a great sound too. It's a mashup of coldwave, punk, gangsta rap, black metal, industrial and whatever else than could squeeze in. It may sound like it wouldn't work but after purchasing their newest album "This Life is Where You get F__ked" all I can say is that they have quite the skills. I especially love their punk style, it's been quite refreshing to listen to and while the music they play may not be a new style, they certainly applied their own sound to it and it works very well.

- Mike T

XP8
If you haven't heard of these guys at this point then stop wasting time and get familiar. Their new album "The Art of Revenge" is quite a beast of awesome EBM. If you ever hearken back to the glory days of Icon of Coil, then you should scoop it up now. They have their own sound going in a style that's pretty cloned over these days. You can always tell an XP8 song when it comes on. And this album is their masterpiece so far, it will not disappoint, especially if you're looking to hit the dance floor.

- Mike T

Elegant Machinery
This band is also not new, in fact it's20 years old. But that doesn't mean they aren't rockin'. They also have a very unique minimal synthpop sound that is very recognizable. They've been churning out really catchy electro for years and with their new single up it sounds like they're following suit. They have such a simple sound yet always manage to get a lot of great melodies and emotion into their music. I can already tell that when their new album comes out it will not leave my CD player for a long, long time.

- Mike T

Destroid - Loudspeaker
Their first album "Future Prophecies" was an amazingly dark EBM (to generalize a category) masterpiece. Their new album has a lot of the ominous vibe toned down, it's still there and leering in the songs, but they have a different swagger on them now. Almost like synthpop at times but still maintaining an edge that keeps it from becoming overdramatic and cheesy. Loudspeaker is awesome.

- Mike T

De/Vision - Noob
This doesn't really need to be summed up. I pretty much crapped my pants the first time I heard the song "Flavour of the Week". It has that total rockin' analog sound, and the chorus is too damn good to ignore. The rest of the album follows suit nicely. In fact I don't think I've enjoyed a De/Vision album this much since Monosex.

- Mike T

Marsheaux - Peek A Boo
Find these ladies if you like Client or Ladytron, they will surely not disappoint. While they share a similar sound to the bands just mentioned, they also glean an awesome 80's new wave vibe. "Hanging On" got in my head about thirty seconds into it which set the standard for the rest of the album, which luckily it met at every turn. And as a bonus the version I snagged was coupled with their first album E-Bay Queen. Their debut offering a slice of electroclash while their follow up seems much more inspired and meaningful album. Both are great though, I cannot stress that enough.

- Mike T

NACHTMAHR - Kunst Ist Krieg
I was very happy to come across Kunst Ist Kreig one day while browsing for CDs. It's pretty rare in the States so needless to say when scooping it up I was already happy. Being a longtime fan of Thomas Rainer's music built up some pretty high expectations and upon hearing the air raid siren in the opening track "Feuer Frei!" I knew I wasn't going to be let down.

The music on Kunst Ist Kreig is synth driven and very floor friendly, two elements this listener particularly likes a lot. "BoomBoomBoom" was the single off the album but by no means is it the best song. Not saying it lacks anywhere, in fact it's particularly good but after hearing the song that follows entitled "Deus Ex Machina" it took a close second or even third. There are a lot of great songs on this album

Nachtmahr reminds me of a less chaotic interpretation of one of Rainier's other projects Siechtum. All the rage and energy is there but it seems a lot more focused in this outing. That and he's put together some extremely cathy tunes that remained spinning in my CD player for a very long time.

And because no EP is complete without a remix or two, we're treated to five of them. There's some pretty heavy hitters on there too from the noize community. Xotox and Fabrik C set the bar pretty high but my favorite has to be Endif's remix of "Ein Spiel". It has a nice glitchy groove to it that really warrants repeat listens.

Make no mistake, it's club driven music that easily fits in along side acts such as Noisuf-X and Combichrist,, delivering harsh vocals and immense beats that are pretty hard to shrug off. There's enough going on in each song that repeated listens reveal different sounds and truly showcase Thomas' ability to craft an intense song. All in all it's a pretty solid release, and a very promising one at that seeing how it is an EP. I'm eagerly awaiting the full length that should be out soon, and from what I've already heard it will not let down.

- Mike T