music review

Bride of the Atom ::: "Web of Spider" Review # 1

industrial-electronica-darkwave-prog-jazz

The below is a review of a preview tape for Bride of the Atom's debut album "Web of Spider". This review was authored in late-97and the CD released in mid-late 1998. The only difference between the cassette reviewed below and the CD is a slightly different track order plus one new track.....

The song-writing and production here is very professional and deserves to make big waves. BOTA's sound is hard to describe. A general label would be "industrial-rock" but it's much more varied than that. Their sound is a mixture of stomping electronic drums, live metallic percussions, driving guitars, huge anthemic keyboard riffs, dashes of demented jazz, and a unique & rememberable vocal sound which is clean and undistorted. Like other contemporary Australian groups such as Insurge, EYE and Crimson Boy, BOTA are fascinated with industrially-influenced offbeat rhythms. Their songs are often quite catchy, without being deliberately poppy - they write some great hooks. What's more they have a unique, original and well-crafted style unlike many other groups in the industrial genre.

The album opens with the driving-stomp of "Predator" and then the funky-industrial and topsy-turvy guitars of "Crash & Burn". "Ibis rising" is a slower mellower piece which features electronic wave and choir noises and great vocal hooks. Very catchy. There's a review of the next track "Make Room!" among the review of the "Reload" compilation CD. Awesome track. "Rocket Ship to Ruin" is another stomper with some wailing guitars (low in the mix), industrial-rhythmic keyboard hits, and rolling flange-chorussed bass lines.

"I want the name of the outside world" displays BOTA's etheral side. A dark atmospheric piece with huge tunnel-reverb washes, mandolins and whispered vocals. "Pillows of Hercules" has vague early 80s gothic influences (such as Sex Gang Children and Bauhaus) and features demented saxophones. "Ssssz" is an instrumental that features more twisted saxophones, quirky bass rhythms and lots of squealing-synth-mouse noises. "Thrice Majestic" reminds me of early 80s Laibach and SPK: pitch-shifted vocal narrative, reverbed wailing saxophones over distant crowd noises, and huge industrial washes. "Sciomancy "introduces the vocal talents of a pack of howling wolves and wraps up the album with another well-constructed song.

It also contains a demented and clever remix of "Make Room" by the Clowns Smiling Backwards.

$20 Aust from: PO Box 37 Armadale North Vic 3143 Australia.[email protected]www.xoom.com/BOTA/brideof3.htm