CONTINGENCE 
657655
CDR
LOST SESSIONS

ELECTRONIC ROCK (INDUSTRIAL)

The story behind this is that the 6 tracks formed the basis of a follow-up album to the mind-blowing ‘Dominion’ debut album, but the tapes got impounded and that was that – effort wasted! Then the band found the sessions that they hadn’t realised they’d kept as a copy and – bingo!!! – They were back in business with the album that should have been the second album from 1998, and was it worth the wait? You bet!!! This album is just awesome stuff - A mix of intensity, good composition, arrangement, structure, power, atmosphere and sheer overwhelming sound, the likes of which you just don’t hear anymore. It’s dark too, the nearest comparison you will get is the all-time classic that is the ‘I See Good Spirits’ album by My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, or certain parts of classic ‘Land Of Rape & Honey’-era Ministry. This is an album that takes no prisoners, doesn’t bargain with you and roasts you over burning embers as it goes. With the core trio on programming, vocals, guitars, textures and cross-fades, this is almost forty minutes of industrial electronic/electric sample-led rock Armageddon that is guaranteed to blow you right out of the sky. The rhythms are huge, the samples are brilliant, the guitars are gut-wrenching and the electronics are all over the mix, and the combined feel and sound will send shivers down your spine.

This is explosive industrial electro-metal at its absolute finest, as track after track powers its way through a huge outpouring of sounds. ‘Drain’ opens the set, mixing dark lyrics with deep arrangements and massive power. The multi-layered electronics and guitars also come up with seven minutes of sheer magic that leads directly into the samples and percussion led intro to ‘Fallacious Doctrine (Remix)’, with synths swooshing all over the place. The massive arsenal of bass and drums suddenly erupts, surrounded by samples, with a massive dirty guitar riff pumping at its heart. More electronic layers are added, then a huge sounding bass guitar pounds in at the bottom of the piece, as synths and choral voices are discernible in the background. Dark, eerie voices emerge deep from the bowels of the mix and, by now, the amount of layers to this ensuing monster is nothing short of jaw-dropping, as you just sit there open-mouthed in utter amazement at the sheer intensity but accessibility of it all. The production and arrangements are positively incredible, as you strive to hear everything that is happening in the over the soundstage, and all the time you just know that this is one track you are going to be playing to death just to take it all six minutes of its sheer brilliance in! Then it segues into track 3: ‘Begotten’, a six minute demon of a tune that wastes no time getting right to the point as guitars, rhythm section, programmes and layers all begin to chart a course that takes in industrial rock power and luscious dynamics as it goes. The song pans out and reveals a magnificent musical landscape, the equivalent of seeing green fields on the other side of a nuclear holocaust! ‘Terminal’ follows, and is no less powerful, but this time a huge sonic soup is created with masses of synths, electronics and guitars at the centre of its musical universe. Deep disembowelling bass lies at the bottom on this mix, with percussive splashes in there for the ride, and it’s all quite superb. Track 5 is ‘The Vulcanizur’ and this slows things down a tad, but the strength is no less committed, as the lumbering beast slowly carves up everything in its path. This time the whispered vocals sound even darker, as a gleaming synth line lights up the darkness and shines overhead. Heavy duty slow bass and electronic drums beat a massive heartbeat as the electronics and a crushing, yet restrained guitar fog add to the picture, with electronics and synths soaring and diving all around the place. This track sounds so powerful, and is taken at such a pace, offering a classic heady brew of mind bending industrial soundscapes and arranging that you won’t forget in a hurry. The final track is ‘Illusion Of The Beast (Orchestral Mix)’, and at nearly nine minutes, is one of the finest industrial gothic symphonic tracks I’ve ever heard! There are few drums, plenty of synths, masses of darkness, swathes of orchestral-sounding electronics, deep, dark electric bass, hushed, whispered eerie voices, sampled choirs and an arrangement that builds, falls and then rises again to one of the most powerful gothic-industrial orchestra climaxes known to man. The storm gradually fades, and the piece is brought to a dark and unnerving end, amidst the sounds of bells, thunder and dark ambience – quite unbelievable. All in all, worth every penny of its asking price – double, even – and, with its predecessor ‘Dominion’ still sounding every bit as good as its classic status dictates, this is the finest pair of offerings in industrial music today and no mistake.

Weight: 150.00 g