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More from Varanis_Ridari
Here is another retro review, this one done out of personal interest, and on a popular genre I have yet to touch upon here on FA.
If you want a sample of the music, check here:
Brainchild - Telltale Crime
And here is the review so you don't have to download the stinkin' document. Hahahha!!
Retro Review: Brainchild - “Mindwarp” (1992)
In 1992, Scott Albert (later to be known as Klay Scott, then just Klayton), formed the band Circle of Dust and released it's self-titled debut, but at the same time, also formed this side project with the owner of the label he was signed to at the time and released it's only album “Mindwarp”, in the same year. Most fans of Klayton will come to know him better for projects like Celldweller or even his work with Criss Angel, but before these projects, he was quite active in the early industrial community and this is his first release in that vein. Later on, this very album would actually be released under the Circle of Dust moniker, with the “Brainchild” tag being removed from the project and instead titling the album itself. That version would be remixed, and have different samples and arrangements on some songs, with other samples omitted entirely. The rest of this review pertains to the original release, not the Circle of Dust version.
For fans of the industrial genre at the time, acts like Ministry and K.M.F.D.M. Were considered Godhead, and set the pattern for many artists to come in the still-young industrial music scene.
Scott Albert had previously been involved with the thrash metal band Immortal (U.S.), not to be confused with the Norwegian black metal act of the same name, and his multi-instrumentalist abilities were brought to bear here on “Mindwarp”, as he played nearly everything on the album. Musically, it sounds a lot like industrial of this period (labeled by some as “Cyber Punk”), with traditional metal and rock instrumentation blended with digital drum tracks, samples, and other sound effect loops and pieces. However, “Mindwarp” separates itself from the pack by offering a larger degree of musicality than many early entries in this genre, with carefully sculpted verse-chorus structures, and even some guitar theatrics, maintaining a traditional song structure within the avant-garde and nature of the genre.
Songs like “Telltale Crime”, with it's near-thrash pace, and “Pale Reflection”, with it's diametrically opposed slow churn and sampled noise loops, represent opposite ends of the dynamics presented here, but despite this rhythmic and sonic juxtaposition, even these tracks present themselves as actual songs, and not an experiments or bare-bones concepts committed to tape or HDD. Such a unifying emphasis on overall songwriting really makes this stand out from other early examples in the industrial genre that instead focused on their sonic treatments, tempos, or lyrical subject matter. As such, one may not always be able to dance to this like one could with a lot of titles in this genre, nor does it always stay safely within the realms of the electronic genre in general. To be sure, one must have a prerequisite interest in electronica to really dig this, but with the level of diversity and catchiness brought to the table (within the confines of industrial), “Mindwarp” shines through as a staple addition to any fan's library. (7/10)
If you want a sample of the music, check here:
Brainchild - Telltale Crime
And here is the review so you don't have to download the stinkin' document. Hahahha!!
Retro Review: Brainchild - “Mindwarp” (1992)
In 1992, Scott Albert (later to be known as Klay Scott, then just Klayton), formed the band Circle of Dust and released it's self-titled debut, but at the same time, also formed this side project with the owner of the label he was signed to at the time and released it's only album “Mindwarp”, in the same year. Most fans of Klayton will come to know him better for projects like Celldweller or even his work with Criss Angel, but before these projects, he was quite active in the early industrial community and this is his first release in that vein. Later on, this very album would actually be released under the Circle of Dust moniker, with the “Brainchild” tag being removed from the project and instead titling the album itself. That version would be remixed, and have different samples and arrangements on some songs, with other samples omitted entirely. The rest of this review pertains to the original release, not the Circle of Dust version.
For fans of the industrial genre at the time, acts like Ministry and K.M.F.D.M. Were considered Godhead, and set the pattern for many artists to come in the still-young industrial music scene.
Scott Albert had previously been involved with the thrash metal band Immortal (U.S.), not to be confused with the Norwegian black metal act of the same name, and his multi-instrumentalist abilities were brought to bear here on “Mindwarp”, as he played nearly everything on the album. Musically, it sounds a lot like industrial of this period (labeled by some as “Cyber Punk”), with traditional metal and rock instrumentation blended with digital drum tracks, samples, and other sound effect loops and pieces. However, “Mindwarp” separates itself from the pack by offering a larger degree of musicality than many early entries in this genre, with carefully sculpted verse-chorus structures, and even some guitar theatrics, maintaining a traditional song structure within the avant-garde and nature of the genre.
Songs like “Telltale Crime”, with it's near-thrash pace, and “Pale Reflection”, with it's diametrically opposed slow churn and sampled noise loops, represent opposite ends of the dynamics presented here, but despite this rhythmic and sonic juxtaposition, even these tracks present themselves as actual songs, and not an experiments or bare-bones concepts committed to tape or HDD. Such a unifying emphasis on overall songwriting really makes this stand out from other early examples in the industrial genre that instead focused on their sonic treatments, tempos, or lyrical subject matter. As such, one may not always be able to dance to this like one could with a lot of titles in this genre, nor does it always stay safely within the realms of the electronic genre in general. To be sure, one must have a prerequisite interest in electronica to really dig this, but with the level of diversity and catchiness brought to the table (within the confines of industrial), “Mindwarp” shines through as a staple addition to any fan's library. (7/10)
Category Story / Industrial
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 120 x 119px
File Size 7 kB
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