Album Review : Combichrist’s Making Monsters

(Photo taken From  Combichrist’s Vampire Freaks page)

Yep your eyes do not deceive you! You are seeing an album review for Making Monsters! For those of you that haven’t heard already Making Monsters came out on August 31st as an early digital download release ( the psychical CD will be available on September 23). Now I did spend awhile debating on if I should pick up the digital download as I planned on picking up the actual CD when it came out. One of the deciding factors in me  picking it up (other than it being a new Combichrist album)  was that I got the chance to do the review for all of you before September 23!

Now before I get into my thoughts on this album I want to point out that these reviews I write up are always written in my honest opinion and should be taken that way. What I might enjoy or not enjoy others might or might not. I can give you guys my thoughts and opinions on my personal experience after listening to an album but in the end it really comes down to how well you enjoyed your own experience!

So with that little disclaimer out of the way now I’ll get on with the review. I was really excited for Making Monsters when news of it’s release first broke. Then when the first single from the album Never Surrender hit the internet ( on Vampire Freaks) my excitement grew even more.  So now with the digital download  in my Itunes library I was  all ready to listen to some new Combichrist. After listening to the album I must say honestly I felt a little let down.

Now I’m not saying that it was a horrible album or anything like that.  It’s just to me it felt like this album was a little weaker then previous albums. The best way that I’m finding to describe and back up that last statement  is that with the exception of Never Surrender a lot of the tracks beats and vocals were really less in your face when compared to tracks off of other albums. Which really makes it come off as a very different listening experience. These are just my first thoughts though. Could the album end up growing on me ? It very well could so I’m not counting it out yet as one night I might just say “Hey, let me crank up some Making Monsters.”

So if your a Combichrist fan (I’m sure   this goes with out saying) but most of you will pick this album up regardless as I  myself probably will still pick up the CD when it’s released (band loyalty). However if your new to Combichrist I would highly recommend that you go through some of their older albums before you listen to this one.  It’s just so your more familiar with the sound that made us fall in love with their music!

Album Review : Container ‘s NEO

( Image taken from Container’s Facebook page)

The Before EP (for you new comers to the site you can check out the review of that EP here) was my first listening experience of Container. The EP had left me wanting to hear more from them. So when Latex Records offered me the chance to have an early listen to Container’s upcoming full length album NEO I was all over it! After listening to the album I came to the conclusion that while I really did enjoy the Before EP however NEO really was a much better showcase of what this band is truly capable of!

I must say that one of my biggest enjoyment factors of NEO was the refreshingly unique sound that the band emulated. It’s a very different “all on it’s own” sound then what I’m normally used to listening to. The tracks off of NEO offer a pretty wide scope of  different music styles( i.e.  Darkwave, Goth and Alternative) all while still keeping that same unique sound. With that wide range of styles I have to say that the album is put together very well. You don’t come across that your just getting into the mellow sound feeling then your hit with a track of  a little more harder beat.

Overall this album was a highly enjoyable listening experience and in my opinion is very much worth checking out when it’s released .  In the meantime (to tide you over) if you haven’t downloaded the Before EP yet  you hop over to Container’s website here and do so ( It’s free). For the most up to date information on when NEO will be available for your listening pleasure you can visit Containers website here, Become a fan of theirs on Facebook or you can visit Latex Records here .

Album Review : Mankind Is Obsolete’s Manic Recession

(Picture taken from Mankind Is Obsolete’s bandcamp store)

While Mankind Is Obsolete ( or mkio )  has been around for awhile this album (believe it or not) was my first listening experience to them. Even though this is mainly a remix album it has sold me enough to want to go back and listen to the original tracks these remixes were based off of!

Manic Recession features 15 remixed tracks of past Mankind Is Obsolete tracks. It also features one original song  (Days Gone By) and one cover song ( Merchandise ). While a few of the songs (Awake, Troubled Dreams and Passing Through) do appear a couple of times on this album( as different remixes of course) it doesn’t give you that “oh it’s this song again” feeling as each of the different remixes keep the tracks very fresh sounding.

I’m sure most fans of Mankind Is Obsolete probably already have purchased the album as it was released a few week back. However if your a newbie ( like I was pre this album) I would recommend that you guys do give it a listen to ( you can listen to the tracks over at the bands bandcamp store here). As you do get a just a taste of what Mankind Is Obsolete has to offer your music collection. If you do like what you hear then by all means go back and grab the older releases because I know that I will be!

Album Review : Offscreen – Dragonfly Lingo

(Picture taken from the Dragonfly Lingo bandcamp store)

I’m always on the look out for new music to fill my ever growing library (as I’m sure most of you know by now), Social networking sites (such as Twitter, Facebook and Myspace ) have really helped me accomplish finding that new music. It was off of Twitter that I became first aware of Dragonfly Lingo( @soundfox). Highly interested (not just on my own but also after a high recommendation from a friend on Twitter)  I made a point last night of picking up the Offscreen album from the Dragonfly Lingo’s bandcamp store. After listening to the album I must say that it was a fantastic first introduction to what Dragonfly Lingo had to offer musically!

The concept behind the Offscreen album is to take stand out memorable movie quotes ( such as the exorcist, close encounters and phantasms III to name a few of the movies ) and mix them with music that specifically crafted for each line of dialogue. A concept that was very well executed in my opinion! The harmonically mixed music and sound byte really transformed each of the tracks off this album and gave them that extra level of listening pleasure. By the time the seven tack album comes to an end it really does leave you with that wanting more feeling!Having said that I for one really hope that there will be more releases from Dragonfly Lingo in the near future!

So as it was highly recommended to me I’m passing that recommendation on to all of you as well. You can head over to the Dragonfly Lingo’s bandcamp store ( bandcamp is a direct artist/band to listener  online music store. So this means that your purchase goes to the band and not a middle man such as Itunes or Amazon. Support your favorite artists and buy direct when you can) to get a sampling of all the tracks and if you like what you hear( and I’m sure you all will) you can pick up the album at a really incredible price!

Album Review : Android Lust : The Human Animal

Picture taken from The Android Lust Website

This album actually was my first introduction to Android Lust( other than being a follower of her’s on Twitter). So with hype building on Twitter for this new album my curiosity needless to say was piqued. I was very interested in hearing the album even though  I had never heard anything from Android Lust before. So I put my headphones on and went right in ( but I’m sure as most of you know I do this a lot with some artists/bands as you can actually introduce yourself to some pretty kick ass music this way). After the first few tracks I  knew that I was very happy indeed that I ended up grabbing the album as I immediately fell in love with it!

The Human Animal album is the fourth( according to the Android Lust website of which can be found here ) album to be released by the one woman  act Android Lust. While reading the bio section on the Android Lust website it had described all the hard work  and effort that went into the making of The Human Animal album.  Hard work and effort that I can say truly shows ( again I’m new to Android Lust so this stament is coming from a first time listener). The vocals ( not to mention the strong lyrics) and the sound(s) emulated by Shikhee ( Android Lust) are just simply amazing and very euphoric! The Album keeps pretty much at the same pace musically. It shows ( at least in my opinion again do keep in mind my new listener mentality  🙂  )  what Shikhee is capable of with out going from one extreme to another ( not saying that’s a bad thing either) .

Overall ( as you can tell) I have really enjoyed listening to this album and very muck looking forward to going back and listening to previous releases from Android Lust now!  I highly recommend that you guys give The Human Animal a shot if you haven’t already! You can purchase the Album as a digital download direct from the Android Lust website. If CD’s are more your thing you can Buy the CD from there as well on the Online store section of the site ( plus you can take a look at all the other Android Lust goodies while your there).

Music Review : Container – Before EP

I came across Container after seeing a tweet from Latex Records mentioning them and that their first EP Before was available as a free download. Curious I headed over to the bands website to check it out and after listening to it  I was definitely digging the music ! If this is any indication of what is to come off their forth coming full length album NEO then consider me sold.

(Image taken form the bands website)

The  Before EP consists of two tracks: Before and  Before Ghost House remix by Del Gibbons. The beats on both the tracks are very decent( which is odd for me because usually I will tend to favor one version over the other) and had me hooked enough to share this with all of you! I’m quite curious now to hear more from them and see what musical journey this band can take my ears on.

Of course when I post my album reviews I try to scour Youtube for videos of the songs so you guys can have a listen for yourself(as It’s one thing for me to tell you guys what I think but you guys should have experience for yourselves as well). Sometimes I’m in luck sometimes I’m SOL. In this case I was very much In luck so here have a listen:

If you guys Like what you just heard you can head over the bands official  website and download the EP for free here. If you guys want to know more about Container you can check out their Facebook page here for the latest news and updates from the band!

For the latest releases, news and more information about Latex Records please stop by the  Latex Records website here or Follow @latexrecords on Twitter!

Album Review : 16 Volt – American Porn Songs // Remixed

Ok I really wanted to have this review (or my thoughts if you will) done 2 weeks ago but I just got really backed with a few things . So today I made the promise to sit here and make sure this review gets posted come hell or high water.   So now having said that on to the review.

I really want to start off this review by saying if your new to 16 Volt I would highly recommend that you actually check out the American Porn Songs original album and a few other 16 Volt albums as well  before you check out this remix album. Not the remix is a bad album or anything like that. It’s just this way you can familiarize yourself  with the songs on the remix album and you also can familiarize yourself with the sound that 16 Volt emulates( and trust me on this guys you will enjoy them). Then after your done checking out  some of 16 Volts previous works including the regular American Porn Songs album and you like what you hear then hop over to the Remix album.

I for one really enjoyed the American Porn Songs album that was released back in 2009. The regular album featured guest appearances by some pretty big names such as Tim Skold and Steve Pig( just to name a few).  So when I heard that a remix album was coming out (which is the first official one  to be released  by the way) I was really excited to try and get my hands on the album when it came out, after listening to it I was not disappointed. The album features 18 remixed tracks ( 22 tracks on the deluxe version of which if you have the extra money to spare grab it. You can pick the deluxe version up at Metropolis Records.com) by some really kick ass artists/bands in this music genre ( like Skold and Unter Null just to name drop a few ). The remix album is a very nice supplement to the original album in my opinion and I’m sure any 16 Volt fan will enjoy.

Album Review – Psyborg Corp : The Mechanical Renaissance

Again here’s yet another band that caught my attention via the internet(this time off of Myspace. Yes guys I’m still a proud Myspace user and always will be). So anyways after listening to a few of the tracks off of their Myspace music player and downloading their debut single Technocracy. I wanted to hear more from them so I immediately headed over to Amazon.com’s MP3 store to see if I could purchase the bands first full length album The Mechanical Renaissance and I was In luck.

The Electro/Industrial sound in all of their tracks is something that should be heard by all as it truly is amazing! The vocals of all the tacks go very well with the sound the band emulates. As you can tell It’s another album I really am hooked on (to tell you guys the truth this album has been my weekend listening selection). I’m really enjoying every single track off this album and again it’s another  CD that I just chomping at the bit to start using in some of my DJ mixes. I really want to hear more from the band because if this debut full length album is any indication of what’s to come then consider me sold if they come out with a second album.

But just don’t take my word on it listen for yourselves. Check out a few tracks off the album from these clips I found on Youtube:

So like what you hear? Want to know more about the band? Well you can head over to the bands Myspace page here to listen to a few more tracks on their Myspace music player. You also you can download the bands debut single as well. If your still interested in getting the album you guys  can purchase The Mechanical Renaissance from Amazon.com’s Mp3 store.

On a side note here I’m really hoping I can get to do up a spotlight on the band just so you guys can know more about this band!

Album Review : Leaether Strip – Mental Slavery

Now  I know it’s always nice to actually have a psychical copy of a CD in your hands( I know I talked about this  for a bit in my Front Line Assembly review) but  in this case the digital download was available before the actual CD was.

My first introduction to Leaether Strip was two years ago with the album Legacy of Hate and Lust(one of my favorite track off that album is Whisper Your Poetry) released back in 1995. When I heard that album I was immediately hooked by the sounds, the vocals, and the melodies of the tracks. So at that point I went back to try and get whatever I could get my hands on off of sites like Amazon and E-bay, I truly was enjoying everything  I was hearing from Leaether Strip and this new two disk album is no different.

Now usually when I do up an album review I like to have listened to the album a  couple of times before I actually sit and write about it. But after hearing the very first few tracks off this album I knew I just couldn’t wait to write this review! The album is that AMAZING in my opinion! I really have been Enjoying every track so far on the album. Even as I write this review I’m still on CD 2 and my enjoyment factor is still of that when I started listening to this album.  I’m very much looking forward to working with quite a few of the tracks off this album in future mixes of mine.

You guys can head over to Amazon’s MP3 store and get little 30 second clips of the tracks off the album(even if you don’t plan on buying the album at least head over if you never heard of Leaether Strip before. Or you can even head over to the Leaether Strip’s Myspace page in the music links section on this page to get more of a full track listening experience) and if you guys like what you hear nab the download.  I know I for one am extremely happy with my purchase and I think you guys will enjoy as well.

Album Review : Front Line Assembly Improved Electronic Device

Well I really wanted to have this done up last week but things come up and life happens. Anyways last week Tuesday the new Front Line Assembly album Improved Electronic Device was released. Now I really wanted to buy this in CD format as I  enjoyed  the single Shifting Through The Lens that was released two weeks prior to this which helped build the excitement for me wanting to get this album. The only music store that I used to get my CD’s from is now closed for good (RIP FYE). Not that there isn’t a CD store around me it’s just that the stores around me have the “If it isn’t on MTV or on popular radio stations in the area it’s not in our store policy” (or at least this is the case in my neck of the woods and yes Bust Buy and Borders I’m talking about you).Which let me just say is a bullshit policy  as there is a TON of  amazing music and artists/bands out there that don’t fall into that category.

So having said that I immediately upon waking up (and I mean as soon as I woke up)  downloaded the album deluxe album from the Amazon online digital music store(which actually ended up working out real well because the deluxe album is only available as a digital download so while I still hate the fact that I couldn’t go out and buy the CD I think in this case I’ll let it slide).  I plugged in my headphones and cranked up the volume and I was not disappointed in anyway shape or form. The album was AMAZING and well worth my purchase! I’m actually looking forward to working Shifting Though The Lens in one of my mixes soon. All the tracks on this album are great I’m especially enjoying Shifting Through The Lens (like I just stated above), Angriff, Hostage, Afterlife and Laws of Deception just to name a few other wise I actually would probably list the whole album.

Don’t just take my word for it listen for your self over at the clips on Amazon.com. If you like what you hear you can buy the deluxe album from  Amazon.com or Metropolis-Records.com as a digital download (remember how well the artist does is based off of sales so please pay the money instead of free downloading the album). Metropolis also has the regular CD for purchase as well. If you want to know more on Front Line Assembly you can visit the bands Mysapce page here.