After a 5-track EP "Mein Schmerz Trägt Deinen Namen", this German male/female duo returns now with a complete full-length album. DAS PRÄPARAT, consisting of Dr. Hyde and Nachtschwester K., continue in their style by providing a rebelled kind of Electro/EBM with charismatic vocals, musically somehow influenced by acts like WELLE:ERDBALL, old DORSETSHIRE or THE PSYCHIC FORCE. The lyrics are provided mostly in German always dealing with some human failures regarding the choice of wrong medicines ("THX", "LD 50"), diseases, scandalizing professional blunders, or illegal mortal help ("Psyche Amor") – at times very bizarre and drastically formulated. They like to stir up a filthy impression over their whole work, i. e. you’ve got always the feeling that they point out the opposite of things you would expect of being a patient, like sterility, anonymity, etc – a portion of disgust is always included. Also conspicuous is the fact that they have avoided on some tracks that genre-typically quantisizing of some instruments, mostly on the piano/organ-driven works ("Das war noch nie ein Liebeslied", "Da Vinci" or "La Croix") – they sound as they would have been live recorded, featuring the factor "human". Of course – and I guess I’ve said this already on their debut EP – this all is a matter of taste. Applause for sure still for their tracks "Euthanasie" or "Maschinenherz", both are real smashers, but generally the Electro/EBM purists may can find their efforts as being too Goth-infiltrated. Solid and satisfying for sure, this duo reflects both styles on this album.

After having recently released a new album "Rotten To The Core" under his main project X-FUSION, Jan L. has still a lot of productive fire under his roof. The result is a new album by his Harsh EBM/rhythmically Powernoise project NOISUF-X. The title of this album somehow marks the program of this recording: hard and mostly straight forwarding beats and bass lines, here and there accomplished by some voice samples. It is against to X-FUSION the rather reduced and minimal output of Jan, but at least with a comparable success. NOISUF-X has grown besides XOTOX to be one of the outstanding acts of the ProNoize roster, although it needs to be asked if NOISUF-X really fits any longer to this label. The EBM/Electro content of Jan’s work is almighty here, therefore it may fits better to be placed on Scanner. Tracks like "Distorted Self-Perception", "Fine Line (Between Genius And Madness)" or "Toccata Del Terrore" could be easily fit on a X-FUSION release. "Hit Me Hard (And Hit Me Fast)" – well, this fast-paced track with its featured voice sample should be soon invade the clubs in your area. Same vote goes out for "Geh Zur Hölle", available here in two different versions, featuring some amusing German voice samples. It is generally again a quality work out of Jan L.’s very own X-M-P studio, while it doesn’t at all provide any surprising or innovative moment. The EBM/Electro-minded audience will for sure offer thankfully reactions in form of a higher frequented dancefloor movement – the real Noise-oriented listeners will definitely find this release as being too smooth and EBM-oriented. There are harder, more Powernoise-minded artists available at ProNoize, that’s for sure.

Deadburger is one of the smartest and most interesting bands to come from Italy's underground scene of envelope-pushing avantgarde-electro-rock bands. Their sound is eclectic and mature and their lyrics are intelligent and thought-provoking. In fact Deadburger walks the fine line between definitely underground and potentially mainstream (since bands such as C.S.I., R.S.U., Subsonica have broken through mainstream media before) and add fruition-friendly meaningful words and mysterious poetry into the mix (like C.S.I. or Battiato have done). However if Deadburger were a product of the States, you know they'd be a recurring name on the bill of the ex-Tonic in NYC (r.i.p.) or of similar avantgarde-downtown-music joints.
I had heard a pre-release version of this record some time ago. The final version of "C'e' ancora Vita su Marte" (which is italian for "There's still Life on Mars") comes with a beautiful super-glossy art work and thick booklet with lyrics to complement the 22 tracks. The album also features a number of collaboration with prominent local instrumentalist which add that touch of collaborative magic.
I think this record has a lot of great songs and some fillers (but with 22 between songs and interludes it couldn't be otherwise) and could have maybe be more direct and immediate with a shorter and more selective track list.
However, the average quality of the songwriting is still really high and makes for a completely enjoyable record. I strongly urge anyone interested in original music to give this album a serious listen. If you happen to understand Italian you really have not excuse not to, but in either case you should!

Elite Pop isn't a really active label but its releases have a concept. This time the label picked up a track titled "The perils of paradise" by and obscure Dutch minimal Dutch project and gave it to Echo West, ICK and to Terroritmo. The original track was referring to visions of an utopian society criticizing at the same time the Western society which is seen like a "make belief paradise" by some. The 12" opens with the original track which will recall to your ears the early industrial noise bands of the 80's, while Echo West, kept the original track as background for the opening of their industrial wave version adding lyrics and some melody. A nice way of re-working it... ICK, true to his cold analogue industrial approach, substituted the industrial factory noises with analogue synth distorted waves and added filtered vocals, shaping the original track into a cold alienated track. Terroritmo based their version treated vocals on the first half of the track, building a similar rhythm structure which originally was played by machines. On the second half, the track is enriched by some light and subtle rhythms, vocals chants and few noise layers, turning the track into a tense crescendo. Interesting and LIMITED release. Check it...

This is the fourth officially full-length release of this striking German project, which has developed through the past years to one of the global scene-players regarding Harsh Electro/EBM/Industrial music. May I don’t have to mention the multiple playing fields in which Jan L. likes to contribute his efforts in – so this is for the very few readers, which haven’t heard before of his projects. X-FUSION stands for the main music project and offers a violent and rough kind of end-time Electro/Industrial pretty much along the :WUMPSCUT:/THE RETROSIC/STARK formula.
Jan has also built his very own X-M-P-studios, in which he produces several scene-related bands, plus he runs also the successful side-project NOISUF-X which rather follows the ideal of a rhythmical Powernoise artist. Some more contributions he likes to put into his mail order service X-Beats and the label Dephyte Records. Matured and experienced is his ability to combine fragile-like melodic inserts with cold and at times fuzzy distorted bass and rhythm patterns, accomplished with a raw and monstrous sounding male vocal performance. In times when the hardcore-Electro listener awaits a new milestone in this stagnant scene after :WUMPSCUT:’s "Embryodead", X-FUSION may holds the right weapon loaded in his hand – while "Rotten To The Core" also offers a lot stuff to infect your mind with slower paced sinister and creepy tunes.
After the dark "Drowning In Deep Silence" the first smasher "Defiled And Raped" rules the scenario and leads the purists to some Pogo action on the floors. With "Traitors Of Our Age" you’ll got maybe the most outstanding work for the danceable-minded tracks, while "Rotten To The Core", "My Inner Storm Blows" and "Death Plan" can nearly rival this. But best track to me is the rather mid-tempo based "Pitch Black" – besides the rough vocals with the easy to follow refrain part (...although hefty distorted, Jan’s vocals are nevertheless one of the winning points for X-FUSION), his well-done melodic synth textures are proof your a higher musically training – Lee Bulig of STARK couldn’t do it any better, applause! This is a fine and for the short-haired EBM/Industrial freak a must-have release – the only tiny thing to criticize is the fact that also "Rotten To The Core" can’t and doesn’t try to offer anything new – but who can nowadays?
Available also as a DCD digi-pack featuring the extra-CD "Bloody Pictures, or as a special box set featuring in all three CD’s with the main release. "Bloody Pictures" and "Choir Of Damnation" offer both unreleased tracks, alternative versions and some remix works created by SUICIDE COMMANDO, RUN LEVEL ZERO or SOLITARY EXPERIMENTS to name a few examples. Try to purchase this soon hard-to-get item ASAP, it is worth any investment!