Cover for Red Reflection album 'Prelude to Annihilation'

Red Reflection: Prelude to Annihilation (review)

On their sophomore album, Prelude to Annihilation, Red Reflection comes across as the neo-classical progeny of Skinny Puppy side-project Doubting Thomas. Somber orchestrations are layered over tribal rhythms and the stray hip-hop beat; elegant piano passages are bruised by intermittent patches of electronic static. A spoken word intro, reminiscent of Boyd Rice, prepares the listener…

Cover artwork for 'Interbreeding II: Industrial Mutation'

Various Artists: Interbreeding II: Industrial Mutation

If you’ve been sleeping on the whole terror EBM phenomenon, Interbreeding II: Industrial Mutation from Arkansas’s BLC Productions provides a neat little primer. Including unreleased material from mainstays Hocico, Dioxyde, and Tactical Sekt, this CD is hard enough to satisfy the underground, but with a danceable edge to keep any floor packed. BLC provides a…

Cover for Doormouse 'Messed Out Freak'

Doormouse: Messed Out Freak (review)

“Zanzi (Remix),” the A-Side of Messed Out Freak (2003) shows how much Doormouse is capable of. Instead of skillfully piecing together a hodgepodge of diverse beats (which he does more often than not), he more more or less concentrates on a hard drum & bass motif, incorporating sporadic jungle beats and a little gabber to…

Cover for Doormouse 'Freaked Out Mess'

Doormouse: Freaked Out Mess (review)

  Doormouse is Daniel Martin, founder of Addict Records and a big name in the Midwest hardcore scene. I guess living in Wisconsin you amass a pretty large record collection to keep yourself occupied, because Doormouse throws in everything and the kitchen sink. On Freaked Out Mess (2003) you’re likely to hear anything from lounge…