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Frightdoll
Assimilation Illusion

Quantum Release Records

Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2009
By: Matthew Johnson
Features Editor

On her second album, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida's Frightdoll combines the dark electronic dance tracks of her debut album, Reference Version, with hints of darkwave and classical, to good effect. By far, the most enticing offerings here are those that see her arrangements stripped down to little more than a voice, a piano motif, and perhaps a hint of EBM rhythm. "Lost" opens the album with just piano and a hint of static; eventually, Frightdoll's voice floats up through the fuzz, girlish but eerie and laced in white noise that give things the aural equivalent of sepia tones. Similarly, "Distant" is quietly ethereal, the vocals threaded ghostlike through echoing pianos, subtle synthesizer effects, and a softened but still distinctly industrialized rhythm sequence. As for the more conventional EBM tracks, they're all competently produced, club-ready but dark and moody, a little like latter-day :Wumpscut: or Wynardtage, though not as stark as the former nor as melancholic as the latter. "Leaving You" is the best of the bunch, thanks to interspersed strings patches and breathless multi-layered vocals. "Caused" and "Generate" are more upbeat, like Ayria gone spooky instead of spunky. "Evolution" goes for a more understated approach and takes things a bit too far; its glumly pulsing rhythm isn't minimal enough to evoke skeletal grace, but there's not enough melody to propel things along. It's the only real sour point on an otherwise solid album, though, and fans of fellow female-fronted EBM acts like Yendri and Nordschlacht should especially enjoy Assimilation Illusion.