Project Pitchfork - Continuum Ride

Written by Vera Petrij Monday, 26 July 2010 16:09

Artist: Project Pitchfork
Title: Continuum Ride
Genre: Electro / Industrial
Release Date: 23rd July 2010
Label: Trisol

Album Review

Hasn’t the thunder of ‘Dream, Tiresias!’ yet died away, PROJECT PITCHFORK are spoiling for a fight again. After a successful and powerful comeback last year, the legends of the dark scene are not going to rest on their laurels and release even mightier album, which will knock out everyone who has already placed them on the retired list.

The wash in the beginning of ‘Way of The World’ at once resembles the interludes between songs on the ‘Alpha Omega’ album. Then the straight beat sets in and a few seconds later is being covered with the extensive atmospheric synth layers. “We’re roaming in circles / on the rock we’re calling home / Around and around the sun we can’t get away / no matter how long we run” - after rather gloomy though truthful chorus sung in the recognisable row and highly emotional voice of Peter Spilles the leading motif manifests all its bewitching beauty. This majestic philosophic anthem makes a ravishing opener, destining the album to be tremendous. The song drowns in the sound of the waves that blends into noise giving birth to the next track. The noises and clatter fuse all the songs turning the album into a single whole. In the end of ‘Stacked Visions’ interrupting vocals bear a resemblance to the burst of machine-gun fire that perfectly suits the accusatory lyrics.

The raucous vocal delivery seems to me to be the only insignificant weakness of the enchanting metaphorical ballad ‘The Dividing Line’. It reminds me a bit of ‘The Tide’ from the previous album and in my opinion; softer voice would better fit to the both songs, especially considering the wide vocal range of Peter Spilles. After the tender melodiousness of ‘The Dividing Line’, crushing ‘Endless Infinity’ violently breaks into your ears with some dirty guitars and aggressive vocals while the signature Pitchfork synths add an anthem-likeness to the track. ‘Dead Cities’ presents inspired and carrying away hymn of dreams: “Dead cities are falling apart / That’s what we see in the sunlight / The boundless force of our dream / is what grows in the moonlight”, revealing PITCHFORK’s unique ability to spread arousing light through their dark and cold soundscapes.

In ‘Continuum’ monumental and solemn synthscapes emphasize the enigmatical verses conveying the obscure philosophy of existence. Pushing rhythms and catchy melodies of ‘Beholder’ will certainly stick in your mind for a long time. This dance floor breaker has already hit the clubs all over Germany. ‘Ghosts of the Past’ is an instrumental memorial to the Nagasaki tragedy. ‘Supersonic Snakebite’ dilutes quite sinister moods of the album with the airy tunes and playful sequences. The fundamental concepts of the PROJECT PITCHFORK philosophy are reflected in the intensely melodic ‘Star Child’: love, unity and taking action. A story about the living toys is told in the ‘43rd Floor’ to the accompaniment of dynamic swirling sequences and danceable beats. ‘Continuum Ride’ comes to an end with a grandiose ‘Full Contact’ which is my personal highlight of the album and one of the greatest Peter’s masterpieces, to my mind.

The way the increasing in expectation of explosion noise suddenly transforms into the tender melody, out of which monotonous beat with minimalistic arrangements and extremely dark vocals leaks, is simply genial. ‘Continuum Ride’ represents completely new sound though being woven from the trend classic elements of the PITCHFORK universe. A light déjà vu can be felt while listening to the majority of the songs, as the familiar, beloved atmospheric melodies and rhythms from the 90th reaching the bottom of the heart are intertwined with the modern soundscapes like the past is interlaced with the present opening the way to the space-time continuum. This album gradually reveals its grandeur and the greatest impression it makes as a whole. Incredibly dense sound and frequently echoing vibrating vocals fill up the consciousness, immerse you in it and leave an aftertaste of the fallen leaves vortex whirling in the hurricane over the abandoned amusement park.

Tracklist

01. Way of the World
02. Stacked Visions
03. The Dividing Line
04. Endless Infinity
05. Dead Cities
06. Continuum
07. Beholder
08. Ghosts of the Past
09. Supersonic Snakebite
10. Star Child
11. 43rd Floor
12. Full Contact

Line-up

Peter Spilles - composition, lyrics, vocals
Dirk Scheuber - keyboard
Juergen Jansen - keyboard
Achim Faerber - live drums
Carsten Klatte - live guitar

Website

http://www.pitchfork.de/ / www.myspace.com/projectpitchfork

Cover Picture

Rating

Music: 10
Sound: 10
Extras: -
Total: 10 / 10

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