CD, Noitekk, 2010
www.myspace.com/psyborgcorp
The latest offering in a trend of perfectly generic, uninspired and perfectly discardable cybergothic/hellektro, “The Mechanical Renaissance” is the result of the talent and imagination (or rather lack of both) of the Colombian trio Psyborg Corp. If the band’s name isn’t already indicative enough of what the listener is getting into, the stereotypical ‘cyber’ imagery should provide further (and quite explicit) clues.
After going through the contents of this album, I came to the conclusion that its only redeeming feature is that the first few seconds of the opening track are vaguely reminiscent of Scooter’s “Maria (I like it loud)”. “The Mechanical Renaissance” quickly goes downhill after that. Did I say ‘downhill’? I meant ‘freefall’. This waste of resources simply isn’t worth the plastic and paper it was printed on.
There isn’t anything more to “The Mechanical Renaissance” beyond the stereotypes of the bastard genre it can be filed under: repetitive 4/4 beats, an easy trance vibe, vapid melodies and distortion-layered vocals – trying to sound epic, edgy and dangerous but failing miserably at it. I’ve honestly heard better and more engaging electro at bumper cars. Also, the lyrical content is the equivalent of having William Gibson clichés repeated ad nauseam to the point of losing any relevance whatsoever (apart from perhaps sounding ‘cool’), repeatedly filtered through “Matrix” clichés and re-stated in the words of people that have playing ‘cyber’ as the reason of their existence (or their make-believe world).
Perhaps this review sounds too harsh but there really aren’t any redeeming features to this release. Psyborg Corp should seriously consider the possibility of trying to expand their cultural and musical horizons, leave the comfort zone of their local ‘scene’ and actually make an effort at creating something original rather than the re-hash of re-hashed clichés that is “The Mechanical Renaissance”.
[1/10]
— Miguel de Sousa