This Septic compilation from Dependent deals with the best in pure Industrial and modern dark electronica. This collection of seventeen pulsating, euphoric and powerful tracks is proof that this genre has so much to offer the alternative music scene on a worldwide scale.
The epic journey through Industrial sub-genres starts with Necro Facility and their track, ‘Do You Feel The Same?’ – This is a dark mix of coldwave aggression, rock guitars and synth-pop. It’s a wondrous amalgamation of influences that will see the group become popular with fans of everything from Aesthetic Perfection to Depeche Mode. Informatik’s ‘Temporary’ (mixed by Synthetic Dream Foundation) follows up with a dark ballade-esque Gothic wet dream. Dark vocals captivate the senses and hypnotise while dirty synths hook you in and do not release for the full five minutes. Acretongue gets under the skin next with a soft and tantalising mix of dark-electro and dreamy pop. This is most certainly one of the standout tracks on the record and it readily captures the decadence of VNV Nation and mixes in the seductive beats and searing attitude of Cybercide.
Next up, we have a preview of Mesh’s new album, ‘Who Says?’ is a hypnotic and sexy dancefloor anthem for glowstick-wielding Goth kids the world over. Strong beats dominate with thumping synths and affecting duel vocals for a massive tune that will no doubt appeal to every facet of the electronic community. Next up we have Apparat’s ‘Arcadia’ tune. This Telefon Tel Aviv remix mixes some sweet and melodic Thom Yorke-esque vocal stylings in with spacey electronics for a synth-rock masterpiece that will chill you out whatever kind of day you’ve had. Edge Of Dawn’s ‘Stage Fright’ smacks the listener in the face with stomping beats that give way to vibrant rhythms and wholesome electronic goodness for a full five minutes of great dark dance music. Biomekkanik follow-up with a delightful mix of uplifting synth-pop. The vocals really resonate while the soulful background sounds will evoke various memories and images within the mind of the listener. Arzt And Pfzuch contrast dark lyrical content with light-hearted orchestral elements. While it isn’t a terrible track, there are surely better songs that could’ve been included as this lacks the impact of previous minutes. Fortunately Acid Milch And Honig’s ‘Was Ich Se’ strikes in all the right places with a heartfelt cyber tune with Cure-esque vocals…well, this is what Robert Smith would sound like if he sang entire songs in German.
Non Plus Ultra’s ‘Big Step’ mixes glitchy electronics and big beats for a nifty few minutes before Aerodrone produce an awesome sleazy electro-rock tune that takes influence from The Faint. ‘Ready To Love‘ is probably the dancefloor hit of the disk and it’s certainly the most accessible – definitely worth your time and effort. Velvet Acid Christ’s most epic track is up next, ‘Black Rainbows’ is a clean-cut, acoustic track that will astound long-time fans. It’s well written and the chilled-out guitars and soft accompanying beats will surely stick in your head for days. Ghost And Writer’s ‘Nightshift’ is an affecting synth-driven trance-infected track that blends stabbing electro parts with cascading electro workings and varied vocals. Encephalon is up next with a prominent track that takes influence from Imperative Reaction to produce an angst-ridden dance-off.
Skold vs. KMFDM’s ‘Bloodsport’ is an angry and rockin’ Industrial powerhouse that mixes busszaw guitars, brutal beats and dominating synth for a serious anthem to soundtrack 2009’s Industrial revolution. By contrast, FIX8:SED8’s soft-yet-dark electro-Goth effort slows things down and cuts the ears with sharp slices of electro and prominent off-beats. The final tune is We Got This Far’s ‘Sedona’, we’ve said it before but these guys are definitely a standout act within the modern Industrial bracket over in the States and this tune readily displays the variety within their sound. This track builds and builds on a distortion-fed electro-acoustic-rock background toward a massive ending and it’s certainly a fitting conclusion to this excellent collection.
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