This project is poised to break through to a larger audience of dark music fans. This is combined with touring with Front 242, which gives them goth cred from the old school. That tour certainly influenced the making of this album, as its primary objective is to ride dance-hungry grooves with a great deal of momentum. This might be best displayed on "Without," which is more of a song than some of these tracks that work off the energy from the sound being generated. It's this energy alone that empowers "Mortal". It accomplishes the kind of booty grinding that you look for in clubs. But this momentum alone is not enough to keep this album in motion.
"Subject" has a more hammering, old-school cold wave feel. The vocals are spoken and dod not serve much of a purpose aside from being a human element in a track otherwise working off an electronic pulse. "Chances" finds a little more of a new wave bounce. The deadpan vocals complement this in a more post-punk manner. Not the strongest song on the album, they get credit for at least attempting a song. "Dimension" is more atmospheric and darker. It has one of the better pulses on this album, and while it doesn't follow a traditional song structure, it's an experiment that pays off.
There is a cold-wave throbbing to "Forever". The vocal approach is still spoken, but phrased more sullenly. It's a more melodic song. "Abandon" is under two minutes, which is compact for an labum of very compactly written songs. But it is just an interlude. There is a more convincing beat to "Returning". But at this point, the monotone vocals are now officially boring me, as they feel obligatory. The last song brings a rather anticlimactic end to the album, as it recycles sounds and moods they have already used on this album. There are some good sounds being curated here, and good songs come about as happy accidents at times; I'll give this an 8. Out on Artoffact Records.
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