White Shadow - Deus Destroyed

Hailing from Maryland, this fresh industrial act is one of several musical groups helping to breath renewal into a city now commonly referred to as "Baltimordor". Over the last year, the band has become a welcomed staple to the live music scene in the city and surrounding areas.

Deus Destroyed is the latest full length album from the band, and blends healthy and well-balanced doses of industrial, hard rock, and metal. The instrumentation is well-written and fairly well-produced, and promises the fans a steady and strong base from which this band will surely thrive in the future.

Unfortunately, the major draw back to this album is the vocals - the male vocals lend an acceptable harshness to the record, but are frequently unvarying and therefore a bit tiresome after a few songs. White Shadows shakes things up with female vocals a few tracks into the album, but those melodies also could use some innovation and a bit more post-processing.

Recommended Tracks:
"Deviant"
"A Side of Me"
"PDM"

SPC ECO - 3 D

SPC ECO is a new project from Dean Garcia, perhaps best known with his work with Curve and The Secret Garden. Noiseplus Music (label for Collide and The Secret Garden) has released the US version of SPC ECO's first full length.

For fans of female-fronted electro rock acts like Curve and The Secret Garden, be wary in expecting the same from SPC ECO. While front woman Rose Berlin has a stellar voice, the result from her collaboration with Garcia is less than thrilling. The CD is self-described as a shoegaze release, which is accurate in it's style and it's depth of definition. While the production and mix of the album is perfectly fine, there is absolutely no depth or variety to the release. It's hard to differentiate each song from the next, and it's even tedious to try to pay attention to the whole CD in one listen. The whole CD feels like a passionless attempt; even the CD artwork looks like it was put together in about five minutes in Microsoft Paint. For musicians with such skill and a proven track record of quality, it was a bit of a disappointment.

If you're looking for an exciting, moving album...look elsewhere. However, if you did enjoy Curve's shoegaze period - or are just looking for a soundtrack to relax with - this may be an album for you. Let's hope SPC ECO can maintain their level of production and add a bit more variance in their next release.

Suggested Tracks:
"Another Day"
"Don't Know Ever"

Alter Der Ruine - Giants From Far Away

Not just another harsh electro band in an ever-growing sea of the digital head rush, Alter Der Ruine represents a lot of what's right in the increasingly popular genre. "Giants From Far Away" is a well-written and produced album that's sure to appease every rivet head, without the failure of taking itself too seriously.

Though I normally don't like intro tracks, I think this album is a perfect example of how to use them effectively. "A Plea for the Dawn / Cries for the Giants From Far Away" gradually eases the listener into the maelstrom that follows. And a wonderful maelstrom it is - crunchy beats, a few well-timed samples, and a hell of a lot of fun make this album a must-have for any connoisseur of the industrial genre.

Whether you're looking to rock out or searching for that next club floor hit, this album has a little of each for everyone. Tracks like "Loserstreet" and "Relax and Ride It" would do well in any DJ's arsenal, while songs such as "Demon Missile" and "Stuffin' the Jellyroll Muffin" are sure to get a crowd rocking in a live setting.

Suggested tracks:
"Loserstreet"
"Relax and Ride It"
"Stuffin' the Jellyroll Muffin"

Otto's Daughter - A New Kind Of Heroine

Spicy industrial metal with sexy female vocals - how can you go wrong? You can't, and Otto's Daughter has done it again with their latest release entitled "A New Kind of Heroine". JVB has long since been a favorite vocalist, and her presence on this album is on par with the band's previous works and stands strong with the powerful tracks the band has once again created.

Featuring tracks such as "Kiss My Ass" and "Fucking You Back", this album is full of the songs perfectly honed over a few years of live performances, finally giving the fans what they've patiently been waiting for. The album is a perfect blend of angst, passion, and "what the hell?" attitude.

Suggested Tracks:
"Fucking You Back"
"Everything"
"The Truth"
"Kiss My Ass"

Collide - Two Headed Monster

Always a mainstay in the trip-hop industrial scene, Collide is back with yet another beautifully compiled full-length album. Featuring some of the band's best work to date, "Two Headed Monster" offers some of their most intricately written songs, while still maintaining that classic Collide sound.

The strength of this release is the band's ability to maintain those elements of their music that the fans have come to love over the years, without falling into boredom. Though many of the tracks utilize a bit more of an industrial rock feel than the band's previous work, the songs still maintain the trademark unmistakable hypnotism of kaRIN's vocals.

The only possible slight downfall of this album is that there is no real 'standout' track or tracks that could be picked out as an instant single or club hit, unlike the band's previous releases. So while this album may not find an easy place on the radio or the dance floor, it still comes with the highest recommendations for a good sit-down listen.

Suggested Tracks:
"Tongue Tied & Twisted"
"Silently Creeping"
"Two Headed Moster"

Animassacre - Shi No Sedai

For another example of bands utilizing current technology to get their music out, we introduce Animassacre. One of the few bands to quickly offer a free EP on the new VampireFreaks Digital Music Store, the band did an excellent job of putting together a few original tracks and remixes to offer potential new fans a sampling of their product.

The first thing that strikes the listener is some much-welcomed originality of their music. Self-described as "industrial hardcore", Animassacre goes beyond the basic definition of their genre and incorporates a broad range of influence, as seen in the band's melding of anime visuals with hardcore sensibilities.

While the EP as whole offers a good blend of creativity, the standout song here is the title track, Shi No Sedai. This track is a perfect example of the masterful control of high energy the band brings to the table. A song with such thump and power can easily run away with itself, but Animassacre keeps the track under the reigns, belaying the raw energy in their creations.

Suggested Tracks:
Shi No Sedai
Mecha Tremors (C/A/T Remix)

The Dark Clan - The Vampire Wore White

So what do you get when you take a background in musical theatre, industrial sensibilities, and a tongue-in-cheek attitude towards "the scene"? Oh yes, here comes The Dark Clan.

A side project founded by Dan Clark (of Stromkern), The Dark Clan has been rising fast in the scene due to their catchy not-quite-industrial rifts and stellar live performances. The Vampire Wore White is off-the-wall 360 degrees of fun, with songs ranging from punk-esque ballads to classical guitar solos to thumping electronics. No musical influence is ignored, and each song is a unique expression of the depth of musical abilities of the artists involved.

While it's not your standard electro-industrial release (and probably more aptly categorized as a rock release), the songs are nevertheless catchy and accessible to fans of the industrial genre. The love and enjoyment that has gone into this project is clearly felt, and is a positive force in a scene that has a tendency to dwell a bit too much in seriousness.

Suggested Tracks:
"Alles Ist Schon"
"New London"
"The Vampire Wore White"

Ego Likeness - The Lowest Place On Earth

Not too long after Dancing Ferret (Ego Likeness's US label) announced that they would be ceasing new release production at the end of 2008, Ego Likeness independently put their new single on the market - proving that the band is here to stay.

"The Lowest Place On Earth" is a four track release, featuring a smattering of what fans could expect on the next full length album or EP. The CD starts with a bang - "The Lowest Place on Earth" has been an immediate club hit in the band's hometown scene of Baltimore and DC, featuring a driving bass line, catchy guitar riffs, and Donna's forever-haunting vocals. "I'm Not Mary Ann" is a suitable follow-up, with a sinister story that leaves the listener hanging on for more.

The CD finishes with an instrumental track (maybe only currently without vocals?) as well as a 2007 mix of Second Skin. And while singles in general are never really long enough to express any kind of theme or cohesiveness, Ego Likeness did a great job of presenting their fans with several new stand-alone songs to satisfy - along with peaking the interest of listeners for the next chapter.

If you're not Mary Ann...then who are you? Perhaps the next release will let us know.

Suggested Tracks:
"The Lowest Place On Earth"
"I'm Not Mary Ann"

The Anix - Demolition City

California-based The Anix stunned fans in the early 2000's with their debut release of "An Illusion Of Time", yet their follow-up "Play, Dance, Repeat" lacked some of the original flare. Radio-Active-Music.com's review of "PDR" even mentioned a wish for more of that old synth rock sound. This is one of those rare but completely wonderful instances where a band finally releases a stellar third album after a somewhat lacking follow-up from a few years earlier; this release was exactly what fans were waiting for.

"Demolition City" is by far The Anix's finest release to date - the album really is a testament to the commitment of quality from this band. The Anix has maintained and polished that initial sound that caught so many fan's attentions years earlier; it's only a matter of time before they're back on top of the game again. The guitars, programming and vocals mesh perfectly, and the production is top notch.

It's hard to choose the suggested tracks for this one, since the entire CD is full of audio deliciousness...

Suggested Tracks:
"Even If It Kills Me"
"Bullets Without a Gun"
"This Game"

Margin Of Error - Create.Destroy.Repeat.

Cleveland's Margin Of Error offers us a wide pallete of sound stylings on its debut, "Create.Destroy.Repeat.". I first approached this disc expecting a hefty dose of terror EBM, but was pleasantly surprised to find some very cohesive industrial metal guitars blended into the mix. From the instrumental opening of "Art Is Dangerous", through frenetic tracks like "Deeper Into You" & "Enslaved", Margin Of Error shows us they are not just a one-trick pony. "Create.Destroy.Repeat." is fraught with elaborate rhythm & synth programming, great production values, and abstracted lyrics.

If the album had any shortcoming to it, the fault would lie in certain tracks in the songs falling slightly out of sync with each other (in other words, some guitar tracks & drum tracks seem about 1/10th of a second off from the rest of the song at times). However, this really doesn't detract from one's ability to enjoy "Create.Destroy.Repeat." from being the well-crafted record it is.

Suggested Tracks:
"Deeper Into You"
"Enslaved"
"Create.Destroy.Repeat."