REVIEWS

Dismantled
PostNuclear

If you haven't heard the band Dismantled from their 2002 self-titled debut release, now is your chance to check out their uniquely eerie and rhythmically catchy blend of electronic music. Their latest offering on Metropolis Records, titled Postnuclear, is an exercise in aggression and bleakness. Their delivery on these tracks is in your face as the lyrics are at some points screamed, resembling more of a death metal vocalist and less of an industrial one. Add to this some complex beat structures and slow droning synths and you get a clear picture as to why this album cannot be ignored. You would be hard-pressed to put this album in for just something to listen to; it is not background music by any means. As I mentioned, the vocals are at some points screamed, but this guy can also sing. This point is hammered home on my personal favorite of the album, "The Swarm." This track is a rollercoaster of sound as the drums are constantly changing to create a perfect backdrop for vocals that go from whispered and filtered to downright synthpoppy and covering many points in between. Whereas on their first release the vocals were for the most part electronically altered through filters and strange tweakings, this album does showcase more accessible vocals, although the vocal fuckery of the last album is still very prevalent. Other tracks to check out are the despair filling "Had a Life," the synth-driven "Exit," and "Essence," which captures the pure dark soul of a post-nuclear earth. In short, I was very pleased with this album as it has a sound that is all its own. I dare anyone to try and reasonably compare Dismantled to another band. I really don't think it can be done. Dismantled gives an at times stagnant music scene some new life and hope through their hopeless and decaying sound. Ironic huh?