When I first offered to do this review I was volunteering for what I was told was a techno album.  Given the current bent that this term has taken, I was expecting something along the lines of Virus, Underworld, or even The Prodigy.  What I recieved in the mail, however, was a tape best described as an attempt at classic EBM (Electro-Body Music).  At one point I found myself wondering if I was listening to an album of Deitiphobia or Front 242 outakes. 

The tape starts out with "Diabolical Machine," a song beginning with an upbeat percussion track, followed by a slow plodding bassline which is then layered with a few other assorted textures as the vocals kick in.  Lyrically, it's along the lines of what one would expect from the (Christian) EBM/industrial genre dealing with a sinner in the depths of despair.... 

Next is "Come Closer," which had me doing a double take, as this one sounds stylistically and vocally like it could have easily come off Deitiphobia's Fear of God album.  It points out that "every breath is one closer, every step is one closer... to God's face."  Extremely simplistic lyrically, but it works and is one of my favourite songs on the tape. 

Then comes a series of songs that just don't work..."Pressure," "Antiseptic," "The Gift," and "Welcome."  Some of these are pretty good musically, but the vocals don't fit.  Others sound like every track was programmed with a different time signature and thrown together as an afterthought.  "Welcome" manages to be my favourite song lyrically, however:  "welcome to the river of the Deep Black Ooze, said the wraith with the sickle and a smile." Unfortunately the music doesn't quite do it justice. 

The tape ends on a good note with "Rubbing Alcohol."  Like most of the album, the song isn't perfect, but there's something about it that makes it stand out a little more.  Lyrically it compares the cleansing via Christ's blood to cleaning a wound with rubbing alcohol. 

Finally, there's an extended instrumental remix of "Antiseptic." While the only massive difference is the lack of vocals, there's enough of a change that I was wishing they'd dubbed the vocals onto this mix and left the other version off the album altogether.  I would have to say that this version is the best song on the tape, followed closely by "Diabolical Machine" and "One Closer." 

While the overall review may sound harsh, I find myself acknowledging that there is more potential in this demo than in most of the indie stuff I've encountered.  With the exception of "Pressure" and "The Gift," all of the songs showed promise.  With the right production (think Jyro and Jerome, Klay Scott, Steve Taylor, Ronnie Martin), this group would make an excellent addition to any label's roster. 

By John Vanden Heuvel