Tag Archives: Reviews

‘Blaster – You Don’t Like Me’ Review

Blaster is a name in our community that I’m surprised more people haven’t mentioned, but with his newest release, ‘Drop the Bomb’ out on New York’s Industrial Strength Records, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw this man roaming the states very soon. Right away, the title track is going to catch you off-guard with its groovy, all-over-the-map sound design, odd-numbered (161?!) BPM, and with a trap-like breakdown, and a hard re-entry, this track is far more atypical in this genre. The b-side, ‘You Don’t Like Me’, is much more typical of this artist (and hardcore in general), however again Blaster keeps things interesting by incorporating other styles of electronic music and keeping his sound design original and edgy regardless of the dated, overused vocal sample.

 

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Release Review: eDUB – Right Behind You EP [OBLIVION 006]

Making a debut into some slower industrial, the uptempo monster eDUB shows that he sits right at home at any tempo with his latest release on Oblivion Underground Recordings.

“I’m Not The Only One” – This beauty features screaming synths that sit ominously in the background with upfront 2/4 snares that fit in the mix perfectly. Not that it really needs mentioning but that characteristically brutal eDUB kick is there and rocking.

“Industrial Meat” – The track that initially got me interested in this release definitely delivers. The slowed down eDUB kick with it’s hard nose and tone heavy reflexive tail does well creating a dirty yet bouncy slow industrial monster. Effective kick edits and vocal sample use drive the track and the ominous break in the middle do service to add feeling to the track.

“Right Behind You” – The title track of the release does not disappoint. We have some of the screaming screeches in the back with good spacial effects much like first track in the release but with eDUB’s drum and bass influence and uptempo speed. The break and sample use of “Right Behind You” keeps up with eDUBS overall vibe of ‘electronically creepy’.  If you do uptempo, this ones for you.

“Primitive Technology” – This track featuring Alexander Head turned out to be the one that I didn’t see coming and, despite there being a 150 BPM banger, my favorite of the release. The kick is fat and ultra noisy and seems to incorporate all the other sounds of the release nicely into one gnarly track; ominous synths to fill the background, the 2/4 snares sitting nicely above the kick, the break has movement and motion to it rather than being dull and limp, the 4-4 snares after the break really ramp up the energy after the drop. Out of a whole release of nasty, dirty, rough, and noisy industrial tracks, this one tops it for me.

-CAP

Malice – I’m a Beast – Track Review

Here is another name in the Rawstyle scene that you need to become familiar with. If you think Warface, Digital Punk, E-Force etc. is the hardest it gets, well, you have a lot of research to do, and you can start with Malice’s two-track release. ‘The Arrival’ certainly has its merits, but it’s the title track that really captures the power this guy has in his productions. Malice has always teetered close to the edge of hardstyle/hardcore so if you’re looking for a track to end/bridge your sets with, look no further than the works of Malice!

 

Warface & Regain – Wakin’ Up – Track Review

Regain is the key player in the latest wave of raw up-and-comers. Pushing the boundaries with his rock/metal influences he’s created a harder design for the raw and continues to show how important his role is that even artists like Warface want to collaborate! Continuously picking up the pace (Rawstyle was being produced at 155 BPM but now 158 is becoming standard), both of these artists combine their talents to create ‘Wakin’ Up’, out now on End of Line Recordings. It’s no wonder raw is taking over when you hear that aggression being pumped through sound systems of 70,000 + watts. You’ll know what I mean when you hear this one.

Tymon – Rituals of Distortion: Chapter 1 – Track Review

Released last month as the 100th release for New York based hardcore record label Industrial Strength Records, industrial demon Tymon has put out what I consider so far as THE best hardcore release of 2016. Slow, eerie, crunchy, everything that the Aussie has become famous for is featured in this three-track release. ‘Crunch Time’ is the top track (you’ll notice right away), but both ‘Fade to Black’ and ‘Instakill’, which both feature a slower kick and a simpler sound design, are still produced and mastered with the upmost quality! And the fact that this is released as a “chapter 1”, I certainly hope this means that another release from this man is coming up in the near future, perhaps just as astounding.