CD Review: Cryogenic Echelon - Fall of the Reptiles

Written by Petra Whiteley Monday, 22 August 2011 10:04

Artist: Cryogenic Echelon
Title: Fall of the Reptiles
Genre: Dark Electronica / Electro / Industrial
Release Date: 16th of August 2011
Label: Crunch Pod

Single Review

CRYOGENIC ECHELON is a dark Electronica project of Gerard Hawkins from Australia, who collaborates with two other artists (who come from, respectively, USA and Mexico). After two years in existence realising the front man’s vision and ideas into music form and a record deal under the belt, the debut EP is about to be unleashed. It’s titled as ‘Fall of the Reptiles’, whether it is inspired by David Icke’s theory of alien race of shape-shifting reptiles ruling the planet and engineering the world events or taking his inspiration from other, be it historical, mythical or religious references I won’t be able to tell you, at this point anyway, except that it’s to fold into its creator’s vision of humanity.

The ‘Respite’ intro is suitably dark and foreboding... and unfolds into the first EP titled song, which starts with electronically sounding female voice introducing you to the concept of reptiles, then a superb beat sequence enters and gets you going with the male vocals giving out some strong lyrics underlying the theme. It’s a superbly atmospheric, powerful track. After this song ‘Hate Yourself’ enters, it’s a topic song of the single and one that you’ll find in four remixed versions. This original is indeed another brilliant song from this fantastic EP. However, my favourite was the ‘Rhtyhmhead Remix’, where I loved the addition of distorted guitars, there is also this echoing effect that gives it a feeling that I can only describe as nostalgic, and yet that is not exactly word that fits it! It has something Matrixy about it also. Another favourite for me was ‘Deep In Ecstasy’. Again the sampling adds to the narrative, the sequences can’t be faulted, the lyrics are engaging into the narrative and quite visually too. Within keyboards and the vocals there’s something very melancholic. In ‘Kill The Camera’ I’ve enjoyed especially the cinematic effect towards the end.

‘Fucking Money’ again utilises sampling to its maximum effect, there’s also this female vocal with an oriental tinge that gives another flavour to the song. The vocals and samples complement each other perfectly and are spot on timed. Hawkins & co bring musical elements of the genre together in a way that gives it a unique stamp and make it all their own. The four remixes (including the one I’ve previously mentioned) at the end are varied enough not to get into skipping them through and feel about them as a mere fillers - they’re to be enjoyed - each in their own right. This debut single is simply impressive, this guy’s gonna be something big on the scene sooner or later and if not - it’ll be a fucked up situation for sure! Another aspect of this release to commend is that this single is filled enough to have a mini-album feel so all I can say is - do check this out, it kicks ass, feels fresh, it’s engaging and fantastic and I can’t recommend it enough and am hoping to hear a lot more from CRYOGENIC ECHELON in near future. Described as “driving force within the dark electronic world” by others, I can only say it’s a fitting label for them.


Tracklist

01. Respite (Intro) – 1.16
02. Fall of the Reptiles – 4.27
03. Hate Yourself – 4.35
04. Deep in Ecstasy – 5.16
05. Kill the Camera – 4.03
06. Fucking Money – 4.11
07. Hate Yourself (Dawn Of Ashes remix) – 4.28
08. Hate Yourself (Digital Deformation remix) – 3.42
09. Hate Yourself (Rhythmhead remix) – 4.12
10. Hate Yourself (Blast Radius remix) – 4.36


Line-up

Gerard Hawkins - Music, Vocals, Lyrics. Sampling

[Honorary Members]
Ayax Ascension: Music, Vocals, Lyrics
Antonio Jiménez: Artwork, Design, Graphics


Websites

http://www.myspace.com/cryogenicechelon / https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cryogenic-Echelon/100724016653104


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10