REVIEWS

Noisuf-X
Voodoo Ritual

Pronoize

Posted: Sunday, March 01, 2009
By: Dillon Carlyon

It seems hard for Noisuf-X to disappoint. Although it has only been a year and a half since the project's previous album, The Beauty of Destruction was released, Voodoo Ritual has all of the kick one would rightfully expect from a completely new full-length. What is more, all 15 of the tracks (only one of which is a remix track) have that spark or shining thing - call it what you will - that keeps one's full attention, jerking both body and mind with a most unholy wakeup call. The energy is always there and never lets up for a moment. Keeping the listener engaged from beginning to end is an impressive feat for an almost purely instrumental electronic project, and while albums by acts that fall under the labels of noise or harsh EBM quickly become repetitive and monotonous, Noisuf-X has always been at the top of its game. Voodoo Ritual broadens Noisuf-X's palette somewhat: some tracks have an old school EBM feel, while other tracks explore an insanely fun, club-friendly mood that is a hair or so lighter than much of the project's previous material.

The CD opens with "Void," a slow, foreboding track with brief but deeply penetrating beats and a smooth yet somewhat slurred synth progression. "Krach Bumm" is one the more "fun" songs previously mentioned, with creatively layered, growling, inhuman samples dueling with a beat too fast for most dance floors. "Just a Trip" starts off with a female monologue and has a light, spacey opening but quickly dives into a beat that is fashioned to perfectly capture the low, buzzing succession of notes that are layered into it. "Intellectually Retarded," which features a great sample from The Witches of Eastwick, has a nervous yet crisp set of notes in the higher range, while a relentless, scratchy synth progression drones at the bottom of it all - a combination as deadly as all-pervasive stupidity, yet much more entertaining. The title track, "Voodoo Ritual" keeps the CD going strong and is one of the more old school tracks, starting off with the sounds of heavy machinery and eventually adding a Nitzer Ebb style chant. "Last Dance" has an excellent build-up, with the worrisome and almost lonely intro moving into a beat that continuously builds in intensity, while a breathy scraping effect bleeds in and out of the background. "Dance of the Knights" is an awesomely uncharacteristic track, bringing the album to a memorable conclusion with a highly addictive marching beat plugged with angry scratchy effects, while a crazed military style anthem is the main feature.

Noisuf-X is one of the most prolific acts in the aggressive techno and noise scene, and it doesn't sound as if the inspiration is anywhere close to running dry. With Voodoo Ritual, the project has maintained its rightful place at the forefront of angry electronic dance music, showing that it still has a thing or two to teach its contemporaries. Like the two albums that came before it, this is not to be missed.