Gothtober- Psyclon Nine : "More to Hell"

 

This album is the companion piece to the previous album "Less to Heaven". It features new songs and remixes. The first track is a droning crunch that carries the brand of industrial this project is known for with the screeching scream of Nero taking a chanted feel. Not new ground, but effective and true to what you would expect from these guys. The Pitch Black remix of " See You All in Hell" is another step in a darker direction as it feels like each song is taking you deeper into a hyperrealistic hellscape. The vocals are at times mixed behind the crunching layers of sound which on this song makes it hard to tell if it is a guitar or a synth. 

"Money and Sex and Death" makes it very apparent the influence that Ghostemane has had in recent years on the genre. The vocals are layered, one is a whisper, the other a low more rapped vocal . The latter is the part that has the more Ghostemane feel. The chorus is screamed but does not relent into the kind of metallic punch you brace for. The lyrics hold enough of a punch as they say "Fuck your god/ we worship suffering" There are some interesting sounds here that feel like they are progressing, rather than just staying in their comfort zone.

The Snakes of Russia remix of "See You All in Hell" is more interesting than the previous re-mixed version of this song, as it is darker, and carries a more haunting echo to it that sounds like something from the soundtrack of a horror movie where the main character is losing their mind.  Suicide Commando remixes "Money and Sex and Death". The vocal layering sits differently and does not make it sound as much like Ghostemane. The chorus still hits harder, but has a synth melody in the background that makes it feel like late 90s EBM. The last track "Bleeding Out" is a delicate piece of atmosphere that feels more like a memory that is fading than a song, though it serves it's purpose as an outro. 

"Give Your Love to the Devil" is creepy. It's progression is subtle and by the end, I thought it was just my gummie kicking in. Skold adds a great deal of melody and a more organic sense of musicality. The vocals are sung in a fragile manner. The effects used on them, work well. it is one of this album's strongest pieces.  I will give this album a 9, not their best, but better than most other band's , and brings some interesting apocalyptic visions of hell to your ears. 

Suicide Commando : ""Goddestruktor"

 The 10th album from Belgium's dark industrial aggrotech. With lyrics like " kill all humanity" opening the album I am onboard for the message they are spreading this time around. The second volume of the song "I'd Die For You" perhaps this is a more typical sound you would expect from any goth night in any city. It does still work for the purposes of this album, unless they default to just doing that. I appreciate the use of samples on this album, it reminds me of Electric Hellfire Club. "God of Destruction" which features the chant "god is a lie", is darker and works of a more subtle groove. 

"Jesus Freak" keeps things dark. The vocals keep at a creepy snarl.  As long as the high energy beats are flowing most fans are going to be pretty easy to please. It falls in an acceptable middle ground between trying to achieve a sound while serving the song. It still works on "Destroyer of Worlds" which is propelled by the frantic synth lines and narration of the samples. I can see where I might get bored with this unless the second half of this album gets a little more dynamic. As it stands this arrangement drones on a theme rather than progresses as a song. Dark and angry is a fine mood to have established for an album, the key is how you show me those feelings in different ways. 

 The female vocals on "Land of Roses" help them to achieve this.  There is a more Switchblade Symphony like mood to the creepiness of the song. "Bang Bang Bang' finds them back into the familiar sounds that have dominated this album so far. The vocals are even more raspy on this one, croaking out the chorus. "Sin" is an instrumental, which sounds like a great idea that never got turned into a song.  "Trick or Treat" is dark as a song about Halloween should be. the vocals bringing form and function to it. Lyrically a little more aggressive than most trick or treating, but it works. It might be higher energy, but I think "Bunkerbitch" does not work as well as "Trick Or Treat"  . I will give this one a 9, I think the marginally less inspired moments are balanced out by the strong ones.  

Suicide Commando : " Forest of the Impaled"

Dark and theatrical are the first thoughts that come to mind from the onset of this electronic acts new album. Nero Bellum from Pysclon Nine provides vocals for the opening track. There is a bouncier dark wave feel to "My new Christ" . This song is less industrial and more edm. The vocals are lower than what Nero does, more spoken through a thick filter of effects than screamed. There is more groove to "Too Far Gone". But the tones are not as dark so it begins to remind me of something from an anime soundtrack. The vocals get more of a hateful edge on "Dies Lies waiting" . The synth melodies are a little more interesting here, it has , more of a Skinny Puppy feel. I think the darker and meaner these guys can get the better.

The tempo accelerates for " the Pain that you like", I can see myself using this song for BDSM sessions, so it has me rethinking if this album could possibly make it over to my iPod. Lyrically it's a lot of chanting , but the song is almost industrial in it's level of aggression. There is more of a stomp to " Poison Tree". But there is something upbeat and slightly more light hearted to it that doesn't really resonate with me.Though with that said it is still not too much out of left field from the rest of the album. It would be sad if a song called "the Devil" did not have a cool evil groove. It's along the lines of the newer edm Skinny Puppy and not the darker industrial Skinny Puppy. There is less balls to "Chasm of Emptiness" .  "Crack Up" has a more robotic feel to it , which is a decent substitute for their more aggressive side as I understand the album needs a sense of dynamics.

The last two songs are alright , but don't strike me as going above and beyond the call of duty in terms of songwriting. When these guys are paying attention to the details and bringing an extra dose of darkness and aggression to the mix then they rise above the run of mill fare for this sort of thing. They even show that they are capable of writing great songs. So when things falls into the more middle of the road electronica then this could be anyone. I'll give this album an 8, it's strongest moments are really worth the time of industrial fans or fans of aggressive electronic music.

From their latest album release ”Forest of the Impaled”. Released: July 21st, 2017. from vanGuardia on Vimeo.