CD, Thisco, 2008
www.myspace.com/wastedisposalmachine
“Interference” is not the easiest album to listen to. It’s soft, unobtrusive and beautifully put together, but it slides past your senses far too easily. However, once you’ve taken yourself in hand and forced yourself to pay close attention, you realize just how good it actually is. It’s actually a bit of a paradox – it’s so easily accessible that it just ingratiates itself into your daily personal soundtrack without leaving a ripple.
This can probably be attributed to a number of things, but none are quite as pertinent as the simple observation that Waste Disposal Machine is not, in a complete break with contemporary industrial/electro trends, the result of a skinny, pale goth hiding behind a computer monitor and venting his angst on an unsuspecting pirate copy of Cubase. On the contrary, this band is a quartet of serious musicians, each contributing their own skill set to the generation of what is some of the most intellectual dark electronics I have heard in some time. The tangible result of this is something of a unique sound to be reckoned with – there are elements of hard rock, analog synths and industrial percussion all combined in a mélange that ranges from inoffensive synthesized melodies to heavy guitar riffing that any self-respecting parent would raise an eyebrow at.
Stylistically, parallels can be drawn with much mid-90s industrial rock – “I Sing the Body Electric”, specifically (which is remixed by Tatsumaki and Sci-Fi Industries on the album), could have stood alongside the likes of The Young Gods, KMFDM, Drown or Stabbing Westward fifteen years ago. That said, it must also be pointed out that tracks like “9:38 AM” can easily be equated with contemporary offerings from the likes of Pain, Turmion Kätilöt or the Deathstars – only a little less harsh, and a little more focused on the musical aspect.
Sadly, it’s doubtful if “Interference” will have much appeal among younger, endzeit-obsessed club-goers, as it lacks the clichéd dance kick drum sequences that typify ninety percent of what can be heard in clubs. But an older, wiser and more patient audience will definitely approve of what Waste Disposal Machine are doing.
[8/10]
— David vander Merwe