Ash Code : 'Perspektive

Stark Euro brand of dark wave, has the needed amount of melodic layers to hold my interest and come across as something more than just 80s sounding dark synths dressed up for Halloween.
The vocals are somewhat Love & Rockets on "Icy Cold", there is not a wild variation from the first song in terms of their dynamic range. Their sound is still working, but I am hoping they switch things up enough on the third song to prove to me they are not just a one trick pony. The tense guitar line does make "Betrayed" come across more like post-punk than dark wave. The vocals are more spoken on "Flesh and Words". The song follows a  more typical German goth path. There is a little more of  dynamic range on this song. "Disease" has a darker touch to it that breaks things up slightly. They continue to lean into darker territory on the title track."If You Were Here" keeps things in the shadows as well, but with more of a poppy bounce.

Female vocals take over on "Rivers". It's not their fault that the song falls flat , the electronic drums are stiff and the bass is nowhere to be heard. "Black Gloves" has the synths working for them rather than against and they create more of a driving sound. The bass finally steps up and into the picture making this mix what the rest of the album needed. The female vocals create a more detached narrative, but it works for the song, though not making this the most memorable moment. The album closes on a more cinematic note which doesnt blow me away , but is not half bad either.

This album's main problem is the production. It doesn't do the drum programming any favors. While being stiff is part of the cold appeal to projects like this I think it could be done in a many that does the songs more favors since at the end of the day that is what matters. I'll give this album a 7.5. It's decent if you are into this sort of thing, and if you are a fan it's certainly a must, but not something I I feel the need to own, though it entertained me when I listened to it. So there if you  ever wondering what a 7.5 means in my book there you go.