CD, Audiotrauma, 2005
www.audiotrauma.org
You know the kind of heavy music that scares uptight parents? Multiply that by a hundred while cranking the volume to eleven. Result: Chrysalide’s “Lost EP”. “Uncompromising, unforgiving, raw, in-your-face, pure fucking Industrial aggression” is also a very apt description for this release.
Picking the torch (or lighting a new one) where real punk left it and adding some high-octane to it, “Lost” is thematically anarchistic, manifesting indignation and raging against the fucked-up condition of the world in the vein of the best of punk. If the song titles aren’t enough indication, the (shouted to hell) little lyrics there are will definitely drive Chrysalide’s point home. Throughout the EP, Chrysalide show that they know all too well how to build rhythm patterns and assemble layers of sound into intense and effective structures of aggression. Make no mistake, this is Industrial riot music and well produced one. Not just in terms of sound quality but also in terms of musical composition.
Ironically, “Lost EP” kicks off with a track titled “Happiness”. It begins with an oppressive crescendo, peppered with the occasional spoken samples, and explodes into a barrage of raw aural aggression, setting the tone for the rest of the release. “Black Bloc”, with its strafing guitars layered on the rhythmic assault (great track to crash cars to, by the way) follows suit and seamlessly leads into “Texas Beast” and “What’s Your Price?”. After four tracks hammering the listener’s consciousness, one would think, from the beginning of “Babylone”, that Chrysalide would finally let go. No way. After a brief breather, the beating continues with even more intensity, ending “Lost EP” with a bang.
The EP format chosen for this release works strongly in favour of its overall quality. Instead of cramming tracks, Chrysalide wisely chose five good tracks and created a short and intense experience: one that gives the listener a heavy beating, enough to raise adrenalin beyond safe levels, and leave a lasting impression, but not fatiguing one. In any case, if it wasn’t enough, one can always press Play again.
[8.5/10]
— Miguel de Sousa