Started in 2002 by Marcin Bachtiak (one of the two guys who founded and are running War Office Propaganda, which recently switched its name to Rage In Eden), Cold Fusion already released several CDrs, splits and albums. The latest one is titled SIMMETRIA and it deals with the sense of balance and harmony. Marcin created eleven tracks which try to find their balance measuring martial percussions, melancholic melodies (piano and orchestrations) and few vocal parts. Also the track list tries to give to the listener a sense of equality by alternating percussive martial tracks and melancholic cinematic tracks (the perfect example of these ones is the closing "Sleepless thoughts" where the ambience is created by synth pads which play the main melody, oriental bongos and light industrial percussions). The thing is getting intricate when also inside the martial percussive tracks a melodic synth is facing up giving to the whole a different taste. Just like the latest Rukkanor, SIMMETRIA is re-defining the genre by widening the feelings range.

Sooner than expected the Californian one-man act MORDACIOUS returns with a completely new studio album, again signed to the Miami-based Telegrammetry label. Since the predecessor "This Emptiness" has brought a non-expected and surprising success to him and his label, Mordacious Mortem wasn’t lazy at all. A refreshing of his sound outfit and his equipment was required, also the expectations of the audience didn't shrink. Let’s say it in advance – MORDACIOUS doesn’t disappoint. A more experienced use of his techniques to arrange his mostly based into Harsh EBM/Electro/Industrial-related tracks can be already discovered with the first tones of "Your Addiction", second track on this 16-track full-length album, after an evil spoken-word introduction entitled "Nothing Left". "What To Say", also available as a remix here provided by FILGAJA, "Follow Your Fears" and "Broken Hope" are tracks which will rival the biggest club smashers in the near future. Thumbs up also for the floating arrangements of the track "Lost", another favorite here. It is generally to recognize, that MORDACIOUS concentrates to feed the dancefloor junkies – no more whiny Goth-Electro pieces like some of them were present on the predecessor. The track "Confession" for example can impress with its pausing structures, a rather undistorted vocal performance, and proves that MORDACIOUS is capable to offer more than only the straight formula - one of the best works of this act so far. Applause also for "Inviting Terror" with it’s rather sinister textures, also the remix work of the BLC Productions-recording artist STIGMATA NL on the track "Runaway" provides a matured programming. It is conspicuous to note, that MORDACIOUS has developed during the last few months that much, that he’s now able to attack the throne of some scene-leaders like TACTICAL SEKT or DAWN OF ASHES. Of course, this isn’t at all new for the genre, also most of the lyrical content drowns heavily into the known "mass-murderer-blood-destruction" formula – finally – who cares? The end of line for MORDACIOUS still isn’t reached, that’s for sure. A lot of coming dates for release parties and the organization of several gigs are already in preparation. With 16 tracks here’s a lot of stuff to discover which concentrates to satisfy your inner need for some Pogo action. The request for MORDACIOUS seems to grow immense and I’m sure that this "Torture Tactics" will hit the predecessor release by miles.

Consisting of the duo Mike and Noisyk, the Canadian Electro/Industrial outfit MIND CONFUSION returns after a longer phase in hiatus and offers a new full-length album. "Reprocessed And Overdriven" works as a kind of compilation – or "Best of..." collection – if you like so, and features recordings taken from both predecessor releases "At The End Of All Things" and "Lost Within The Decaying Fragments Of Chaos". Two cover versions on "Lobotomie" and "Tout Petit La Planete" and two new tracks are accomplishing this release. The music takes and combines influences out of post-modern EBM sounds, Industrial-like attacking guitar riffs and an energetic deep male vocal performance which can be compared in some way to P. Spilles of PROJECT PITCHFORK. Not the highest complexity can be heard for the electronic arrangements, they rather serve its purpose, but together with the integrated guitars and vocals quite convincing – and on some tracks surprisingly catchy like on "The Last Stand", one of both new tracks. Also "Faces Of Clay" and "Remains", the latter also released on the BLC Productions compilation "Annihilation And Seduction", are fulfilling this quality. Mostly the tracks are straight produced and should allow some dancefloors action, slower pieces like the ballad-like "Unborn" are rather an exception. The artwork was done by the legend Steph Dumais, www.raisinlove.com, for sure one of the most talented artists around. There’s no real reason to argue against this fine release, which provides a crystal-clear production and sound quality. Highest professionalism for this Canadian duo, let’s hope for a wider and international recognition.

This is a new artist collaborating with Germany’s most addictive rarity mail order service, SkullLine, and a fine addition to the musically diverse roster of their label section. KALIBER 9 seems to be a female/male-leaded duo and they provide a musically mixture out of Harsh Powernoise, Experimental, Martial Industrial and Ambient drones – heavily inspired of the works of some Cold Meat Industry patterns. It isn’t designed for the weak of heart thanks to the use of de-constructed textures and a massive (ab-)use of distortion, lo-fi and overdrive effects. "Traumatized" comes near to what can be called a rhythmically Powernoise track, while it doesn’t integrate any related Harsh EBM structures. It is a noise massacre with a harsh metallic-sounding attitude at its best. "Neurotoxin" or "Dungeoned" turn rather more into the field of Martial Industrial and Experimental genres, here and some deep and restranged male vocal extracts are thrown in. "In The Morgue" plays in a wide field of the Dark Ambient genre, while both tracks, "Dungeoned" and "In The Morgue" are also featured here as special bonus remix works, both aptly entitled "Distorture mix". KALIBER 9 offer a harsh and smashing output which likes to reflect excerpts out of different, but still rather experimental and dark-minded styles. As usual for a SkullLine release, also this release is strictly limited to 99 exemplars and comes packed in a DVD case. Play it louder than bombs, but take care for your neighbors!!!

I’m always quite curious when I happen to see line-up conducted by guitarists, above all jazz guitarists, be it I’m a guitar player myself or simply be it during the early days of jazz the instrument was a bit snobbed... or maybe it just has to do with the fact unbeatable Bailey came from there. To put it clear immediately, consider that thought working in an idiomatic way Eisenbeil is not one of those reactionary jazzists cloning his heroes and playing that sterile shit just good for a night at Blue Note where you’re having your very expensive dinner, with your even more high-priced Armani suit on. Eisenbeil plays in a clean way, sure, but at the same time he’s intrusive and dissonant and yes, he resembles a bit Derek Bailey here and there, but that’s just good since he’s far from being a copycat. That said, even if I’ve just wrote about the guitar player, add this’ a sextet and you have also drums, acoustic bass, trumpet, alto saxophone and a violin and they’re really well combined. The twenty-seven tracks composing the first song portray an errant tentacular guitar facing a Ornette Coleman meets Sun Ra meet Davis ("Filles de Kilimanjaro" era) scenario, but the interesting thing is that even if every element of this twenty-seven parts suite is basically one or two minutes long, the whole construction is homogeneous and sounds like a whole "stream of consciousness". In the most of the tracks you don’t have that dialogue/juxtaposition between the musicians like in many Coleman’s works, but you have some parts of the sextet moving at a length while some other are walking at a different speed on another level, but all is done in a really "organised" and "prudent" way (that’s why I mentioned Davis). While the modus operandi of the ensemble is different, the atmosphere of the 28th and 29th tracks is quite similar to the "inner constellation" suite, it’s with the closing "receding storm" that the context changes bringing forth a quasi-melodic jazzy/spanish guitar. In this closing episode the guitarist’s style is still personal, demonstrating he developed well his musician’s personality. This’ a good example of harmonic groovy "free jazz", or that’s how they call it, and it’s also one of those records that shows how written parts and improvising skill can still coexist in a genre that sometimes risks being killed by its glorious past.