Why any of this stuff is released on cassette is a serious injustice, but in this case, luckily, you can pick it up via CD-R from the second label mentioned above. Hopefully this whole cassette fad won't last long once people realize its limitations. There's a reason we moved from Walkmans to iPods. ∆AIMON represents the better side of modern electronic, consisting of two musicians who know how to write without sucumbing to the one-finger-on--the-key schlitz of other acts, and surprise, they can utilize their equipment beyond mere intention. Amen is apparently their debut, and it's a damn fine example of the darker side of industrial, which has trickled down into more mature and dense structures to lose the tag altogether. Lots of great shit, with occasional slips, and just a shame it didn't get placed on disc!
Amen opens with "PURE", which sets the tone for the rest of the work. There's a very dark, foreboding presence to this one, with creepy ass vocals (both male and female) that are utilized for their texture instead of simple lyric delivery. The beats are deep and viscera-pounding, though occasionally movements into purposeful overloading take away from some of the sound. It's clearly intentional, but it cuts into the beats-which-ye-cannot-feel atmosphere of Amen and happens in a few of the tracks more than it should have. This disparity creates something of a mismatch with the rest of the work, like a bowl of Lucky Charms you let go just a bit too soggy to enjoy. You've got more sophisticated hints of Laether Strip and Psychopomps in here, but it never falls into the dregs of the typical kick/snare approach of most industrial, which is a good reason to not even mention the term. This is electronic for those of us who are a little more intelligent, but lack of beat it has not. In the right environment (read smokey disoteque), you might even say you could dance to it. Apparently this style is now referred to as 'witchhouse', whatever in the hell that means, but perhaps it's a good idea to draw away from the 'industrial' tag due to the overabundance of repetition found therein, so we'll roll with it.
Amen is an excellent mix of electronic, almost quasi-goth atmospheres, careful programming, and hypnotic beats. At times, sure, it pres like an overanxious virgin, but these brief moments are not nearly enough to take away from the rest of the work. ∆AIMON show more promise than most bands today in electronic genres, and if they take their career further the chances of success are weighed respectfully on their end. Amen isn't flawless, but it definitely isn't flawed. Dark, excellent electronic for you computer geek trance loving weirdos out there.
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Written by Arkus
