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Nachtmahr
Katharsis

Vendetta Music / Trisol Music Group GmbH

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

The follow-up to Nachtmahr's debut full-length album, Feuer Frei, which saw Thomas Rainer of L'ame Immortelle fame trying his hand at techno/EBM in the vein of Combichrist, this EP is loaded - or perhaps overloaded - with guest remixes, as well as throwing in a couple of original bonus tracks. The bulk of Katharsis is devoted to the title track, which closed out Feuer Frei with its mixture of pounding techno/industrial beats and spoken German vocals. In addition to the original version, there are remixes from the likes of SAM, Soman, and Xotox, and though all of the contributing artists come from more or less the same scene as Nachtmahr, there's more variety on display here than you might expect. SAM's remix adds little, but Soman's version is starkly minimalist, creating a delicious contrast for the harmonic synth line that eventually kicks in, while Xotox goes for a brutally industrialized version that drenches the dance rhythms in clatter and reverb. The full-length album's title track is also featured, and in addition to the high-BPM bass assault and gutturally barked vocals of the original, Straftanz, Reaper, and Readjust all contribute remixes. None of them are particularly compelling, unfortunately, though Reaper's version is catchy enough and Readjust's mix at least offers up some intriguingly moody synthesizer effects. Much better are the two remixes of "Schwarzflug," originally appearing on Nachtmahr's self-titled debut EP. Noisuf-X's take is hard-edged but multi-layered, full of swirling gritty analog synths, while Alter der Ruine's remix is chopped up electro style, more suited to head-nodding than club-stomping. Finishing things up are two exclusives, "Unsterblich" and "I Believe in Blood," both of which combine the current trends in techno-inspired EBM with Rainer's distorted growls. Both are solid and club-worthy, though "I Believe in Blood" better utilizes Rainer's aggressive vocal delivery. Neither the originals nor the slew of remixes are enough to bring new fans into the fold, but Katharsis is a competent collection of tracks sure to please DJs and long-time Rainer followers.