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Akron
Origins of the 7 Deadly Sins

Hypervoxx Recordings

Posted: Friday, April 27, 2007
By: Matthew Johnson
Features Editor

Bringing a new flavor to hard electronic music without sacrificing any of the genre's tried and true formulas, Greek duo Akron's debut album is a refreshingly sophisticated take on EBM, incorporating hard industrial beats with soundtrack-inspired classical arrangements and just a touch of progressive trance. With the exception of darkwave-style female vocals on "Resurrection," this CD is entirely instrumental; instead of morbid growled couplets, the memorable parts of "Chronicles" and "I Failed You" come from delicate piano lines, richly arranged choral pads, and larger-than-life string arrangements. The beats, meanwhile, are solid industrial club killers; violins or not, there's no mistaking this for some foray into gothic chamber music. Without the stereotypical distorted vocals, Akron is also free to indulge in more progressive techno influences, as well. "Hermit" and "Killing Time" in particular display strong overtones from the trance scene, with lots of dramatically building synth lines in and amongst the sampled brass and string sections. Dark though it may be, a good portion of this album would fit nicely into a rave set as well as your local industrial club. It's sinister and cinematic, but unlike your typical horror movie soundtrack, it'll keep your body moving on the dance floor.