CD-R, Hyervoxx Recordings, 2007
www.readjust-music.com
In recent years, the terror-ebm/dark electro/terror-banana/etc. scene has reached a point of over-saturation. I used to be over-enthused by any band that would throw a catchy bassline and distorted vocals on a track but now it’s getting a bit boring. There are a few interesting releases here and there but it’s all becoming redundant.
When I listen to an album from this genre, I look for a few things. First criterion of judgment is to scan the album for catchy dance tracks, which will sound really fun the first few times you listen to them (and will probably irritate the shit out of you in a short span of time). Next, check to see the complexity and layers of the composition. Avoid listening to the lyrics at all costs as they’re irrelevant, and hopefully they’re campy and undecipherable (come on, we all know this isn’t supposed to be poetry). Finally, the make-or-break pivotal point in the genre is the production quality of the kick, snare, and bassline. I can’t stress the last point enough: the compression/distortion levels of the latter seem to be the deciding factors of a track entering into industrial-overplay stardom!
I set out listening to ReAdjust’s debut album “Statement” with the above criteria in mind. The album quickly caught my attention with opening track “Hard to Die.” Overall, not the most interesting choice in sounds, but the track did have a catchy hook and I’d consider dancing to it in the club. I was hoping to hear more tracks of the same caliber but was grossly disappointed. Largely, it’s more of the same-old redundant “spooky electro” sounds used in boring song structures. Nothing too catchy and I was a bit irritated to discover heavy-guitar shredding on several tracks.
The most exciting part of this album was the remix by Centhron of the track “Nackte Angst”. If you’re not familiar with Centhron, their novelty steams from their vocal distortion sounding like a rodent being murdered, contrasted with cheesy leads and an over-compressed kick. I wouldn’t necessarily claim that it is innovative music, but I just can’t stop listening. Centhron’s remix of “Nackte Angst” carries a trace of those characteristics, so I can’t help but listen. Otherwise, this album is a bit bland for my taste.
I think this band does have some potential, and maybe future releases will be better. The main downfall of the album seemed to be a lack of good production/mastering. A stronger snare/clap could have really improved the sound of a few tracks, and all the sounds seemed to get lost in the mix. Remember one lesson that can be taken from cheesy-trance: even if the music is overdone and cliché, if it is produced well, the kids will love it.
[5.5/10]
— Lemmy S