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Manufactura
In the Company of Wolves

Crunch Pod

Posted: Wednesday, February 06, 2008
By: Matthew Johnson
Assistant Editor

With its numerous remixes, collaborations, and even a cover song or two, In the Company of Wolves doesn't fit the classic album structure, but in some ways that makes it even more satisfying. While Manufactura mastermind Karloz M.'s previous few releases were thematically dense enough to qualify as concept albums, this CD runs the gamut from the brutal dance-oriented power noise of his early work to the moody ruminations that have defined his newer material. In the Company of Wolves opens up with "Name of the Offender," a collaboration with Terrorfakt that's a far cry from what most fans would expect from either project; though there are moments of distorted breakbeats, they don't form the song's backbone, instead acting as adornments to layers of chilling industrial ambience, hints of classical bombast, and samples of frightened queries. "Hollywood Babylon" is more club-friendly with its pulsing synths, rasping vocals and pounding techno beats, but "Cut by Loving Hands," a sort of one-man collaboration with M.'s down-tempo side project Broken Fabiola, is slow and bleak with dreary baritone vocals moaned over cold electronic tones and snapping drum patches. Similarly dark are a chilling cover of Swans' "God Damn the Sun," a collaboration with The Operative that replaces the original's brooding guitar with icy synthesizers and demonic whispers, and "Canto Gypsy," a fascinating darkwave-inspired collaboration with Displacer that features spoken Spanish vocals over dark trip-hop rhythms and reverb-drenched sawtooth waves. On the other hand, the Ophelia's Descent mix of "Deep Waters," a three-way collaboration between M., I:Scintilla, and Destroid, layers melancholy female vocals over subdued but danceable beats and synth harmonies for an effect that's quite lovely despite its themes of murder and codependency. If that all gets to be a bit too introspective for club-ready industrial fanatics, there's plenty of straightforward power noise on display as well. Combichrist's This is What You Need mix of "Sex and Suicide" is heavy on the thump, with echoing whispers retaining the signature Manufactura creepiness, and C/A/T's Why Don't You Just Kill Yourself mix of "The Betrayal" is melodic but hard, with harmonized synths giving it a slightly more accessible EBM flavor. The most brutal is saved for last, with M. offering his own devastating new Full Contact mix of "You're Fucking Worthless." Originally released on Sistinas Music's Materia Fria compilation, the new mix starts off with sampled quotations from the film version of Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly, then launches into a speaker-shattering kick drum that pounds your skull until you're ready to beg for mercy. There's plenty of Manufactura's philosophical side on In the Company of Wolves, but M. leaves you with the clear impression that he's still ready, willing, and able to drop some of the harshest beats you've ever stomped your combat boots to.