Title: Vae Victis
Artist: Signal Aout 42
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 22nd January 2010
Label: Out Of Line
Album Review
In the late 1980s, SIGNAL AOUT 42 was one of the more popular acts of the young Belgian EBM scene and often named along FRONT 242 or THE KLINIK as one of the pioneers of this genre. The roots of SIGNAL AOUT 42 go even further back as the project was started in 1981 already by Jacky Meurisse and Thierry Durnez under the simpler moniker of “Signal” as a very experimental Industrial / Noise outfit. During the eighties the name developed to SIGNAL AOUT 42 and the band turned more or less to a solo project of Meurisse, with occasional collaborators like the brothers Luc and Damien Vandamme. 1986 saw the first record release of SIGNAL AOUT 42, the singles ‘Girls of Vlandeeren’ and the club hit ‘Pleasure & Crime’. Dark, monotonous electronics dominated the sound, the lyrics explored the darker side of man and society, but SIGNAL AOUT 42’s electronic beats were danceable enough to make an impact on the dance floor as well.
The critically acclaimed 1989 album ‘Pro Patria’ was one of those releases who marked the breakthrough of the European EBM scene from an underground movement to one of the major forces in the alternative music scene, though SIGNAL AOUT 42 never reached the heights of their fellow countrymen FRONT 242 in terms of popularity and record sales. SIGNAL AOUT 42 continued releasing singles and albums until 1993. But in the early 1990s, Meurisse started to concentrate on the new Techno scene and was involved in numerous dance projects as a producer, composer and remixer. In 1995, the German label Out Of Line released a SIGNAL AOUT 42 best of called ‘The Immortal collection 1983-1995’, which was probably the project’s most successful release. Out Of Line was also the home for SIGNAL AOUT 42’s reactivation with the album ‘Transformation’ in 2007 and at the end of January the label released the latest SIGNAL AOUT 42 work ‘Vae Victis’.
Sonically things didn’t change too much since the early 1990s for SIGNAL AOUT 42. What sounded fresh and modern back then has now a very strong retro feel on ‘Vae Victis’ but surely many SIGNAL AOUT 42 fans will agree that this is rather a good thing. The trademarks are all still there - the dark and brooding atmosphere, electronic grooves, Meurisse’s rough voice and lyrics containing his take on the dark side of humanity. The album starts with the slow ‘Century of Hate’, which is as gloomy as the title suggests and features some World War II samples - on of Meurisse’s favourite gadgets as it seems. Track number two, ‘You Find Me’, raises the tempo which Meurisse keeps up for most of the rest of the album. He refrains from the thunderous high-speed beats of the young EBM acts of the 21st century like COMBICHRIST and keeps his tracks between approx. 120 and 130 beats per minute, which supports the dark and intense feel of his music well. Listening to ‘Vae Victis’ you can really tell that Meurisse was involved in many dance productions in the early nineties, there are many resemblances of prototype Techno all over the album.
At times he seems to use old analogue pre-set sounds for layers and melody lines, which isn’t exactly Synth wizardry but rather the easy way to go. On the other hand this is surely part of the album’s charm. What Meurisse is really brilliant at are swirling, impulsive bass lines which make songs like ‘My Dream’, ‘Be My Army’ and many others compelling dance tracks. SIGNAL AOUT 42 doesn’t need hyperactive high-speed beats to make your feet move. Lyrically, Meurisse often uses mere slogans like “Follow your leader” or “Do what I say”, which leave the lyrics very open to interpretation, especially in combination with the mentioned World War II samples. Unlike many modern day Hellectro acts, Meurisse does not use - and does not need - too much distortion for his vocals, his rough voice sounds great and rough enough for this kind of music.
‘Vae Victis’ might be seen as a rather old-fashioned album by some scenester, but what might be seen as a weak point by some will be a strong argument for many others. Meurisse wouldn’t have done a favour to SIGNAL AOUT 42 if he jumped the latest band wagon; instead he delivers a consistent album with a hypnotic quality which will work fine both at home and on the dance floor. The limited edition of ‘Vae Victis’ comes along with a bonus disc, the EP ‘Time is coming… Insurrection by Northern Alliance’, which features eight versions of the album track ‘Time Is Coming’ by acts like IMPLANT, ATOPIC, K-BEREIT and VOID KAMPF. These remixes add some fresh blood to the soundscape of SIGNAL AOUT 42, and some of these versions will surely become favourites by Industrial / EBM DJs in Europe and North America.
Tracklist
CD1 ‘Vae Victis’
01. Century of Hate
02. You Find Me
03. My Dream
04. Do What I Say
05. My Flag
06. Be My Army
07. Time is Coming
08. Follow My Voice
09. Vae Victis
10. Red River
11. Karyuska
CD2 ‘Time is coming… Insurrection by Northern. Alliance’
01. Time is Coming… Insurrection (by Atopic)
02. Time is Coming… Insurrection (by Bak XIII)
03. Time is Coming… Insurrection (by Buzz)
04. Time is Coming… Insurrection (by Darkmen)
05. Time is Coming… Insurrection (by Granchaos)
06. Time is Coming… Insurrection (by Implant)
07. Time is Coming… Insurrection (by K-Bereit)
08. Time is Coming… Insurrection (by Void Kampf)
Line-up
Jacky Meurisse - production / composition / vocals
Website
http://www.myspace.com/SignalAout42
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7.5
Sound: 9
Extras: 8 (bonus disc with remixes)
Total: 8.5 / 10
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