- W3C's debut was monstrous. Every track on The Atmospheric Entry, on Pinch's vinyl-only Cold Recordings, was seething with industrial rancour. The hate came with a hefty side of science-fiction terror and was spat out in earth-shattering UK rhythms. If you had to label it, you'd call it techno—but a niche variety. Epic and daring, W3C might have gone a bit too far with "Prometheus," but the Latvian producer's ideas were sharp and well executed.
State Of Absolute Alienation takes a more expansive crack at the dance floor, but the stretch lessens the impact. The EP is a murky soup of styles, including grime ("Ascension (Intro)") and moody dubstep ("Xenotrak"), but it lacks the refinement of W3C's debut. He makes up for it with ambition, particularly with the aggressive "Bot-o'-War." Its industrial, swampy swagger would stand up to any Ad Noiseam or PRSPCT Recordings face-off, and encapsulates what Infinite Machine's Charlie Juárez meant by "hardcoreness." The standout "Short Circuit" puts the label's net ethos into practice, while "Invasion" is menacing but it may have taken the sci-fi blockbuster concept too literally.
TracklistA1 Ascension (Intro)
A2 Xenotrak
A3 Bot-o'-War
B1 Short Circuit
B2 Invasion