Anyone up for music that’s the equivalent of and goes well with stroboscopic light? Because that’s what 20 Buck Spin have got here for you. Industrial metal – and of a rather numbing kind.
An unusual release this is for the American label best known for death and doom. There is nothing wrong, of course, with diversifying your roster. Only this might not have been the best pick – in my utterly unimportant opinion, at least.
Black Magnet is an American one-man project and Hallucination Scene is their debut album. The man behind that project is James Hammontree who is solely responsible for vocals, guitars, synthesizers, for drum programming, and all the samples you can hear on Hallucination Scene. The latter two, programmed drums and samples, are also the foundation on which the music he makes is built. Add distorted vocals mixed into the background and lyrics pointing out the many things that are wrong in this world and you’ve almost arrived at the end-product.
The album’s eight short tracks evoke a dark, cold, dystopian atmosphere, but since the sound is so connected to the 1990s, you also get a retro feeling, and that is – weird.
If you like your albums varied and your song structures complex, this is definitely not for you. Tempos do change throughout the album, but not all that often. After repeated listens, everything blurs into one, constantly repeated, dragging, marching beat. There are some threads of melody, interruptions and pauses, but apart from them Hallucination Scene is a rather monotone listening experience. Industrial metal doesn’t have much ornamentation in the first place, and this is a bone gnawed clean.
I have read some favourable reviews for the album, so my opinion is in no way representative. Some reviewers appear to be really excited. But I suspect that this is the case because they weren’t around in the 1990s. You can only be excited about this if you’ve never heard Godflesh, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails or Helmet. For those who have this is a trip down memory lane at best. If, however, this is what you are looking for, Hallucination Scene will definitely get you there.
(5/10 Slavica)
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