After years of behind the scenes programming and remixing in the Christian industrial genre, Dan Level releases his debut. Seven years in the making, the time spent on the writing and production of this album is readily apparent. Level is responsible for all of the writing, recording, and mixing, and the end result is a collage of club/drum'n'bass influenced drums, trance industrial programming, industrial-metal guitars, and emotional vocals and lyrics. This mix, while diverse, is potent, making for a degree of creativity the christian industrial scene hasn't seen since Circle of Dust.
The opening song of the album, "She:Backslide," has my vote for ultimate driving song of the year, with it's searing guitar riffs, emotionally intense vocals, slick techno-industrial programming, and hyperkinetic drum'n' bass style percussion, this song is easily the highlight of a disk full of solid songs. The second and third songs in the excellent "She Trilogy" of songs that dominate the album, "She:Pay to Play" and "She:This Time" follows the style of the first song, with monster riffs, driving electronics, and angst ridden vocals.
Other songs however, like the all instrumental "Pay To Play (Mix B)," prove that Level can still rock without the dominating guitars. The spooky trip-hop ryhme of "Downplay," and the shimmering electronics and steady thumping bass line of "Hero Zero" are all the evidence needed. However, two songs marr an otherwise perfect album, the Klank-wanna be industrial/punk song "Devil's Advocate" and the boring, self-indulgent "What if? (Vintage Lofi)," which is too long by about seven minutes.
Lyrically, Level concentrates mostly on his feelings of betrayal in relationships, with little in the way of hope or peace. These feelings of tortured existance and torn loyalties are evidenced on songs like "She:Backslide," where Level screams the chorus:
Joe Rockstroh (5/7/99)
