:Music Review: Skinny Puppy – Weapon

Skinny Puppy – Weapon
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: skinnypuppy.com

Review by: William Dashiell Hammett

510RbJelPQL._SY300_Skinny Puppy.

There, done.

It’s not like I really need to write anything else is it? If you’re reading this article and don’t know who Skinny Puppy is then you probably clicked the wrong link somewhere (in which case, be afraid, be very afraid). However, since you’re here I’ll assume you want to read something about the seminal Canadian electro-industrial progenitors and I guess it is sort of my job to provide that to justify my continued employment. (more…)

:Music Review: Panic Lift – Is This Goodbye?

Panic Lift – Is This Goodbye?
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: paniclift.tumblr.com

Review by: Jaymie Burzette

Panic-Lift-Is-This-Goodbye-2012  Panic Lift, founded in 2006, is an Industrial band from Newark, New Jersey. Is This Goodbye? is their fourth release, and it is very different from what you would expect to hear from them. The vocals are no longer heavily distorted and their sound has changed from Harsh EBM/Electro-Industrial to Synthpop/EBM with elements of Industrial Metal and Trip-Hop. At first I was rather taken aback by this new sound and it took me about a week of listening to this album to warm up to it. After listening to the album multiple times, I began to appreciate the new sound and I found little details that I quite enjoyed, but there are still a few aspects of this album that bother me. (more…)

:Music Review: Army of the Universe – The Hipster Sacrifice

Army of the Universe – The Hipster Sacrifice
Release Date: May 14, 2013
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: armyoftheuniverse.com

Review by: William Dashiell Hammett

tumblr_mjk331ksRl1rqvp5lo1_500I first encountered Army of the Universe in 2010 when their debut full-length album, Mother Ignorance, hit my in box. Of course I looked them up on the repository of all human knowledge-the internet-and found the video for their single Lovedead. To say I instantly fell in love would be a bit of an overstatement; however, I was decidedly intrigued. Enough so that I was gave their debut a good listen and was greatly impressed. Originally a trio composed of Trebla (a.k.a. DJ Albert Candiani), vocalist Lord K, and guitarist Davide Tavecchia, the Italian industrial rock group scored a coup with getting Chris Vrenna to produce their debut. Vrenna is now considered a full time member with their release of the group’s second album The Hipster Sacrifice. (more…)

:Rivet: God Module – Psychic Surgery: The Victims Among Friends & Perception EPs

God Module – Psychic Surgery: The Victims Among Friends & Perception EPs
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: www.godmodule.org

Review by: Stephen Beck Fey

god module psychic surgery  This one’s pretty much exactly what it says on the tin, a reissue of God Module’s two early EPs that were previously really hard to come by without having to try your luck at eBay or piracy. (more…)

:Concert Review: Inertia (Pittsburgh)

Inertia
April 16, 2013
Pittsburgh, PA @ 31st Street Pub

Review by: Maresa Whitehead

inertia  Despite the torrential downpour and flash floods, a handful of dedicated supporters emerged from their Tuesday evening routines to attend Distortion Productions’ first show of the year, featuring locals Patricia Wake and Boxed Warning opening for Inertia (Metropolis Records). The crowd, consisting mainly of old friends, congregated on Pittsburgh’s Penn Avenue at the 31st Street Pub, an intimate space with a long bar and tiny stage but large sound. Its walls and ceiling are covered with autographed posters, cymbals, and stickers from the myriad of live acts that have graced the Pub with their sounds. Look long enough and you’ll even see familiar names such as MyParasites and Dismantled. (more…)

:Music Review: X Marks the Pedwalk – The Sun, the Cold and My Underwater Fear

X Marks the Pedwalk – The Sun, the Cold and My Underwater Fear
Release date: September 14, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records / Infacted Recordings
Website: www.x-mtp.com

Review by: Jaymie Burzette

XMARKS  Stylistically, there have been three distinct phases in the existence of the German band X Marks the Pedwalk (XMTP). Their sound began as more Electro-Industrial, then moved more towards Techno. And then, after a ten-year hiatus, the band returned with a synthier, Dark Electronica/EBM sound with Synthpop and Ambient elements and a slight Asian influence in the background at times. Listening to their different musical styles discretely, they each sound like they could have been produced by completely different bands. It should come as no surprise, then, that The Sun, the Cold and My Underwater Fear is a very different album from what XMTP has put out so far. (more…)

:Music Review: Front Line Assembly – AirMech

Front Line Assembly – AirMech
Release Date: November 21, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: www.mindphaser.com

Review by: Jaymie Burzette

FLA_AirMech  Front Line Assembly (FLA) is a Canadian Electro-Industrial band that was formed in 1986 by Bill Leeb (after he left Skinny Puppy). Throughout the years, the band’s lineup has featured several other members, including Michael Balch (Blackland, Ministry) and Rhys Fulber (Delerium). Front Line Assembly has produced an extensive collection of albums, beginning with The Initial Command and State of Mind, through Artificial Soldier and Improvised Electronic Device, and now their latest release, AirMech. Developed as the soundtrack for a game made by the company Carbon Games, AirMech is very different from normal Front Line Assembly fare. Instead of their usual Electro-Industrial sound, this album contains all instrumental tracks and bears a heavy Dubstep influence. (more…)

:Music Review: Robotiko Rejekto – Corporate Power

Robotiko Rejekto – Corporate Power
Release date: November 13, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: www.robotiko-rejekto.com

Review by Jeremy Davey

robotiko-rejekto-corporate-power  Robotiko Rejekto has been involved in the Electro/Industrial scene since the 1980s, but Corporate Power is only their second full-length release since 1990′s The Cyber Space. That’s quite a long time between albums, and if the quality of Corporate Power is any indication of their potential on future albums, I really hope the wait isn’t nearly as long for a third release! (more…)

:Music Review: KMFDM – Kunst

KMFDM – Kunst
Release Date: February 26, 2013
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: kmfdm.net

Review by: William Dashiell Hammett

KunstIn the press released I received along with KMFDM’s latest album, Kunst (feel free to have fun with the pronunciation), I expected the standard dribble that all PR reps have been writing for decades. But the opening sentence “With three decades of historic, groundbreaking musical mayhem behind them…” made me sit back for a moment and think. Thirty years is a hell of a long time for any artist to maintain relevance. (more…)

:Music Review: Hanzel und Gretyl – Born To Be Heiled

Hanzel und Gretyl – Born To Be Heiled
Release date: November 27, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: www.hanzelundgretyl.com

Review by: Stephen Beck Fey

hanzel und gretyl born to be heiled  Ever since their switch to a more Metal sound on 2003′s Über Alles, Hanzel und Gretyl has been pretty much unstoppable. With crunching distorted guitars and pseudo-German rage, they’ve consistently produced some of the best records out there for invading nations, crushing your enemies, or just moshing around your living room. Born To Be Heiled is no exception. (more…)

:2012 Year in Review: Maresa Whitehead – COMA Reviewer

2012-doomsdayMy 2012 year-in-review is really just the latter-half-of-2012-in-review, considering I was all but dead while finishing the thesis for my MFA degree throughout the first five months. Even when I emerged from the black depths of self-induced sequester, my caffeine-laden, sleep-deprived, student-loan-indebted soul didn’t get a chance to hear many of this year’s new albums. But that certainly doesn’t mean I didn’t find my favorites! (more…)

:Music Review: Inertia – Universal Blood

Inertia – Universal Blood
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: inertia.gs

Review by: William Dashiell Hammett

universalbloodInertia, the project of Reza Udhin, has been around for about twenty years, but despite rave reviews from critics and legendary artist Gary Numan has yet to really garner much attention from the scene. With their latest album Universal Blood, their first on American label Metropolis, they make a strong case for some well-deserved notoriety. And if the scene doesn’t take note, there is no justice in the world. (more…)

:Music Review: Rein[Forced] – X Amount of Stab Wounds in the Back

Rein[Forced] – X Amount of Stab Wounds in the Back
Release Date: August 14, 2012
Label: WTII Records
Website: www.facebook.com/reinforced66

Review by: Maresa Whitehead

  Even if you’ve long been a member of the electronic music scene, you may not be familiar with Pittsburgh-based Rein[Forced]. But one thing’s for sure—you’ve almost certainly heard the name of its passionate, talented, and selfless front man, Jim Semonik. Yes, that Jim who kicked cancer’s ass. The Jim who turned his traumatic experience into two massive compilations you might have heard of: the Electronic Saviors releases from Metropolis Records. The Jim who donated proceeds from those compilations to cancer-related charities. And the Jim who has shared the stage with the scene’s biggest and most influential artists. I dare you to open every industrial CD you own and see how many of the bands thank him in their acknowledgements. (more…)

:Music Review: De/Vision – Rockets and Swords

De/Vision – Rockets and Swords
Release Date: September 11, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: www.devision-music.de

Review by: Grant V. Ziegler

  After the release of their previous album, POPGEFAHR, I had never been more excited to be a fan of De/Vision. It had all the elements of sensual beauty that you could ask for from a Synthpop album, but it also added some much needed attitude that I felt De/Vision’s previous efforts lacked. Following up POPGEFAHR would be a challenge, but De/Vision met this challenge, and their newest creation, Rockets and Swords, does not disappoint. (more…)

:Music Review: Caustic – The Man Who Couldn’t Stop

Caustic – The Man Who Couldn’t Stop
Label: Metropolis Records
Release date: October 9th, 2012
Website: tellmeaboutmyuterus.com

Reviewed by: Gabe Wilkinson

Ladies and gentleman, what we have here is a failure to communicate. Matt Fanale apparently didn’t get the message that this is 2012 and people don’t want music in their ears that is challenging, forward thinking yet feels like a nod to those that came before him. No, he thought it was necessary to create that very album. To put all of his blood, sweat and jizz into something that is truly different from the landmines plaguing the industrial/electronic world around us. (more…)

:Music Review: The Birthday Massacre – Hide and Seek

The Birthday Massacre – Hide and Seek
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: www.thebirthdaymassacre.com

Review by: Maresa Whitehead

  Toronto’s The Birthday Massacre returns to the synthrock forefront with Hide and Seek, their fifth full-length album. Billed as their darkest collection to date, Hide and Seek will certainly carve out a bloody place in the child-like hearts of fans who have grown to love TBM’s familiar formula. But for those who wish the band would experiment or evolve more, this album is just another … well, familiar formula. From the prescribed song structures to the 80’s-throwback synths and from the references to childhood alongside dark adult themes to the fantastical ambient interludes between tracks, this album is definitively TBM’s. (more…)

:Music Review: Velvet Acid Christ – Maldire

Velvet Acid Christ – Maldire
Release Date: September 11, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: velvetacidchrist.com

Review by: Maresa Whitehead

  Because I’m an honorable journalist, I must begin by telling you that I am completely biased. I am in love, lyrically and sonically, with Bryan Erickson of Velvet Acid Christ. My attraction began with The Art of Breaking Apart. Sure, I listened to and enjoyed VAC albums prior to that. But when I heard The Art of Breaking Apart, it became, for me, the epitome of Erickson’s musical career. The album was unique and showcased Erickson’s incredible growth as he broke out of his VAC boundaries and into completely new musical territory. I was smitten. So you can imagine that I came to Maldire with a rash of unattainably high hopes which I unsuccessfully attempted to quell. (more…)

:Music Review: Ludovico Technique – Some Things Are Beyond Therapy

Ludovico Technique – Some Things Are Beyond Therapy
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: ludotechnique.com

Review by: Grant V. Ziegler

Named after the “therapy” method used in A Clockwork Orange where individuals had to watch graphic and violent images, Ludovico Technique has returned to release Some Things Are Beyond Therapy. This will be their follow-up to their self-titled, self-released EP. The potential for LT is limitless now, as they are now signed to Metropolis Records and will be touring with Imperative Reaction, Everything Goes Cold and the Witch Was Right. This tour will keep chiropractors in business after it causes a multitude of sore necks and stiff bodies. (more…)

:Music Review: Dismantled – Whole Wide World

Dismantled – Whole Wide World
Release Date: September 11, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: dismantled.org

Review by: Grant V. Ziegler

  In June 2011, Dismantled released War Inside Me, which could be considered the perfect soundtrack to the apocalypse. So how can front-man Gary Zon follow up such a destructive masterpiece and not have it sound like a disappointment? By releasing an EP that puts the EP in EPic, that’s how. (more…)

:Rivet: Cesium_137 – Science and Sound

Cesium_137 – Science and Sound
Release Date: June 26, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: cesium137.com

Review By: Stephen Beck Fey

  Cesium_137 is a wonderfully consistent band. In their whole career, I don’t think they’ve put out a bad song. They haven’t put out anything particularly transcendent either, but with their infectious pop hooks and kickass synth work, they’re a great little futurepop act.

(more…)

:Music Review: Twitch the Ripper – Colorblind

Twitch The Ripper – Colorblind
Release Date: August 14, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: twitchtheripper.com

Review By: William Dashiell Hammett

   With the prevalence of programs like Garage Band, Logic Pro and Pro Tools it seems as if there is no lack of electronic music groups invading the scene. Forming in 2008 in New Haven, Connecticut, Twitch the Ripper has something that most do not—an ability to create catchy songs with interesting melodies. Putting aside their abilities for the moment, the duo of Jon Dobyn and Lonn Bologna have put together a resume that spotlights dedication if nothing else. They released their debut EP, Don’t Go out Tonight, at the end of 2009, and it was quickly followed by the full length Bodiless in 2010. The two then set out on a whirlwind of tours across the United States, opening for The Ludovico Technique, Ego Likeness, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, 16Volt, God Module, Imperative Reaction and System Syn. While “claiming” to have spent three quarters of 2011 on tour (this reviewer who followed their touring closely thinks they are underestimating the time spent on the road), they found the time to write new material and record at Orange Sound Studio in Brooklyn with multi-platinum producer Mark Saunders taking on the production reigns. The result is the album Colorblind, an album that Metropolis Records felt was strong enough for a contract with the Philadelphia-based label. (more…)

:Music Review: Decoded Feedback – disKonnekt

Decoded Feedback – disKonnekt
Released: June 12, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: decodedfeedback.com

Reviewed By: Jeremy Davey


Canadian electro/industrial mainstays, Decoded Feedback, are back with a killer new album, disKonnekt, which was released June 12 on Metropolis Records. I’ve long been a listener of Decoded Feedback, but I will admit that this is their first release that has really grabbed my attention and managed to hold it from beginning to end (well, almost). In the past, all of their releases have had a limited number of really strong tracks, and everything else on the album just sounded like filler to my overly-picky, anal-retentive ears. On disKonnekt, however, the only tracks that didn’t thrill me were the opener, “Another Loss,” and the closer, “Blade Runner Tribute” (this one mostly because I’ve never understood everyone’s obsession with this film; sorry, it just doesn’t do it for me). Other than that, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this album. It has a more classic sound than what is generally being pumped out now, and that alone is sure to please many stalwarts of the old-school EBM/Industrial sound. Don’t misunderstand that comment, though; there is a ton of variety and originality on display here. For instance, “Slaughter” has a sample of a squealing pig. When mixed with the lyrics, the sample becomes genuinely disturbing (especially if you’re an animal lover like myself). Marco Biagiotti’s vocals are excellent as usual: melodic, yet rough edged without being smothered by annoying vocal effects. The programming, synths, drums, etc., are pulsating and just saw-blade-edged enough to give a little grind to the melody. (more…)

:Music Review: Assemblage 23 – Bruise

Assemblage 23 – Bruise
Release date: June 12, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: assemblage23.com

Review by: Zander Buel

It’s not easy being one of the top acts of a genre. It’s even worse when that genre is continuously being flooded by wave after wave of cliché, each one insisting on some unique facet contained within their music. The few that actually manage to stand out, such as Tom Shear’s Assemblage 23, are put under the microscope and analyzed at each angle to find some flaw in a new album or song. How does Bruise measure up to past works? Does it push boundaries? Is it daring, honest, and original? Does Tom prefer boxers or briefs? (more…)

:Music Review: Various Artists – Electronic Saviors Volume II Recurrence

Various Artists – Electronic Saviors Volume II Recurrence
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Label: Metropolis Records
Website: electronicsaviors.com

Review by: DeVico

Jim Semonik is back with the second compilation installment of Electronic Saviors and this time, the ceiling has been lifted to become an even huger and massive compilation. With proceeds going to at least two charities: Gilda’s Club/Cancer Support Community and The Bone Marrow Foundation you get the chance to help others and build your music library. ES Volume 1 was a sold out product on Metropolis Records and with good fortune, I am hoping they have the same scenario with ES Volume 2. The premium edition of ES 2 comes with six CD’s and two digital discs. This compilation clocks at 142 tracks with over 10 hours of play. Seriously, this is a juggernaut of music. (more…)