- A blend of EBM and techno with the intensity of a flesh-eating virus.
- As with so many records on Berlin's aufnahme + wiedergabe label, dropping Imperial Black Unit's debut 12-inch into the EBM revivalism bin isn't so simple. Yes, the duo of Pablo Bozzi and Thomas Chalandon unleash precisely the kind of luminous synths, rolling bass sequencer grooves, live percussion accents and static-caked barks that dominated industrial in the late '80s and early '90s. But they pack these elements into tight, no-frills rhythm tracks that avoid typical song structures and pronounced melodic or vocal motifs.
Indeed, these four tracks are so focused and minimal they're more like variations on a theme. The A-side jams, "State Of Pressure" and "The White Rose," frame their beats with clean, bulky lines and, in the case of the latter, weave busy synth scribbles through their boot-like crunch. Both are tough and imposing exercises in balance and pacing.
"Philosophy Of A Knife" and "Now You Can Pray" are, by contrast, scuffed and claustrophobic, like the duo's manic live performances. Squelchy distortion gnaws at the edges of the basslines with the intensity of a flesh-eating virus. Their barks, meanwhile, are dissolved into heavily processed streams of fuzz that clog every possible crevice. All four pieces are solid, exciting tracks. Yet here's to hoping Bozzi and Chalandon make the B-side's rawness the focus of future output. Just turn it up and let it rip, like they do onstage.
TracklistA1 State Of Pressure
A2 The White Rose
B1 Philosophy Of A Knife
B2 Now You Can Pray