Emerging in 2008 from the remains of previous band D.U.S.T. AlterRed have been tearing up the South with their big time theatrical live shows and appearing with the likes of KMFDM and Combichrist, but after nigh on 18 months of touring, AlterRed have finally committed to releasing their material to the world with the awaited E.P ‘Bind Until It Breaks‘.
The track ‘Fleshbind‘ starts the ball rolling with a rather dated set of keys sounding like mid-eighties Depeche Mode in the midst of defining their sound. AR’s vocals are tune perfect, but can seem strained on higher notes offsetting the pace of the track. Overall, this track offers a good quality electro-beat along with some infectious backing piano that bears an undeniable resemblance to Reznor’s work during ‘Lost Highway‘.
‘Broken Glass‘ is a very story driven song that wouldn’t go amiss recieving the “Rock Opera” treatment. The heavy, emotional undertones and angst-echoing vocals fuse perfectly with a punchy, electro undercurrent to provide a solid and welcome addition to the track-list.
A distinct change of pace arises with ‘Amphetamine Chic‘. The baseline is pure-yet-dirty and very well composed but the entire track is instantly recognisable as a Gary Numan homage circa his ‘Hybrid‘ era – the tempo, the piano interludes, the bridges in the track…everything. One other thing you cannot fail to notice how much AR’s vocals sound like Robbie Williams on this tune making a very strange listening experience…in a kind of “guilty pleasure”-type way.
‘The Patient‘ owes every part of itself to MM’s ‘Golden Age Of Grotesque‘ only with Marc Almond on vox, not to sound intentionally malicious but the similarities are too immense not to notice. The tracks’ arrangement is tightly composed and well polished compared to the previous ones which do, at points sound more like demos.
‘Fleshbind (Dried Flesh Mix)‘ is a slightly more interesting version of the original and tends to flow with a purpose. With the additional synths and a touch of the ol’ vocoder, the track has a sense of belonging on this EP. This maybe a hint of what the full album (hopefully) has to offer.
AlterRed’s mixture of various genres and “borrowed” sounds may make for an excellent live show but to listen any other way except live sadly does not do them justice. Maybe a northern show would cool our guns…?
For more information visit the official MySpace.
