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REVIEWS
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Syncope
Dark Sky
American Me
Awaken the Ghost (Final Awakening)
Waiting For the World to End
Bring Me Violence
Not Going to Work That Way
Chosen One
4 Steps to Dysfunction
Not Entertained
Beslan
You're Fired
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NEWS
- Tactical Sekt sign with COP International in North America
- Tactical Sekt featured on limited edition compilation
REVIEWS
Tactical Sekt
Syncope
Noitekk
Posted: Friday, July 14, 2006
By: Carl Jenkinson
By: Carl Jenkinson
A solid third release for Anthony Mather that maintains the traditional Noitekk EBM sound; hard beats, dark moods, and an undeniable club appeal.
Anthony Mather’s third Tactical Sekt release (if you count the Burn Process EP) continues very much in the hard and dark EBM style that means so much to the Noitekk family. As such, this provides a reliable listening experience for lovers of dark electro, although the fact that it sticks so rigidly to the well-established dark electro template means it isn’t likely to gain much in the way of new converts.
That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of very good pieces to get your teeth into here, particularly during the first half of the album as the opening double-header of “Syncope” and the superb “Dark Sky,” where the simple but effectively ominous chords add the finishing touch to this dark moody piece, get proceedings off to an appropriately powerful start. The duo of “Awaken the Ghost (Final Awakening)” and “Bring Me Violence” are both sure to have a great deal of club appeal, with the latter track in particular really taking the potent musical cocktail to new heights of all-out power and aggression, the ultra-hard rhythms mixing superbly with the dramatic sequencing and even the sort of instantly recognizable opening that is sure to make this a much-loved fave for a long time to come.
On a slightly different note, the September 11th-inspired “American Me” is surely a track close to Anthony’s heart (the pictures that grace the inner sleeve and the sleeve notes both refer to this), and while the sound clips from that day that set the scene for the latter track never fail to send shivers down the spine, the music sets a nicely reflective mood in its own right; so much so that a fully instrumental version might well have allowed said mood to come to the fore even more fully. “Not Going to Work That Way” is a more critical take on modern US politics, although musically, it’s a punchy, if less outstanding track than much of what has gone before it, while “Chosen One” and “Not Entertained” both take the foot off the pedal a touch and are not among the album’s highlights as a result. A certain feeling of tension does something to rescue the otherwise no-frills “4 Steps to Dysfunction,” while the self-explanatory “Beslan” likewise benefits from having more fire in its belly before “You’re Fired” closes the album with another so-so EBM offering. The voice samples are the standout element here, even if they only cause one to wonder just what is the deal with that whole gorgozola/brie thingie!
Overall then, this is an enjoyable, if not exceptional album that, despite my personal reservations, is not without some genuine highlights; so dark electro lovers should find it to their liking.
That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of very good pieces to get your teeth into here, particularly during the first half of the album as the opening double-header of “Syncope” and the superb “Dark Sky,” where the simple but effectively ominous chords add the finishing touch to this dark moody piece, get proceedings off to an appropriately powerful start. The duo of “Awaken the Ghost (Final Awakening)” and “Bring Me Violence” are both sure to have a great deal of club appeal, with the latter track in particular really taking the potent musical cocktail to new heights of all-out power and aggression, the ultra-hard rhythms mixing superbly with the dramatic sequencing and even the sort of instantly recognizable opening that is sure to make this a much-loved fave for a long time to come.
On a slightly different note, the September 11th-inspired “American Me” is surely a track close to Anthony’s heart (the pictures that grace the inner sleeve and the sleeve notes both refer to this), and while the sound clips from that day that set the scene for the latter track never fail to send shivers down the spine, the music sets a nicely reflective mood in its own right; so much so that a fully instrumental version might well have allowed said mood to come to the fore even more fully. “Not Going to Work That Way” is a more critical take on modern US politics, although musically, it’s a punchy, if less outstanding track than much of what has gone before it, while “Chosen One” and “Not Entertained” both take the foot off the pedal a touch and are not among the album’s highlights as a result. A certain feeling of tension does something to rescue the otherwise no-frills “4 Steps to Dysfunction,” while the self-explanatory “Beslan” likewise benefits from having more fire in its belly before “You’re Fired” closes the album with another so-so EBM offering. The voice samples are the standout element here, even if they only cause one to wonder just what is the deal with that whole gorgozola/brie thingie!
Overall then, this is an enjoyable, if not exceptional album that, despite my personal reservations, is not without some genuine highlights; so dark electro lovers should find it to their liking.
