Artist: Amnistia
Title: Egotrap
Genre: Electro / Industrial
Release Date: 29th April 2011
Label: Scanner
Album Review
AMNISTIA is a band that was founded in 2003 by Stefan Schoetz and Tino Claus and originates from Leipzig / Germany. In 2010, an additional member joined, named Jan Moritz. The name of the band means “amnesty” which is really a philosophical state of body and mind. The first track of the album, ‘Init4 + Sermon’ sounds very experimental and starts with some technical samplings but continues into a powerful combination of drum beats and voice. This song hits hard with its pure lyrical sound and gets under your skin the way blood circulates through the veins. The next track, ‘Egotrap’ (the title of the album), starts out really seductively with the drum beats and continues with dark, sublime and poetic lyrics. In this song you can really “feel the pain” in many different ways through the music. The track after this is ‘Research’ and is slightly different then the first two. The powerful drum beats come to play then the dark voice melts into the song in a really melodic combination of drum beats, voice, and Gothic sounding music layered under the first two. This song can be easily danced to and is like listening to Industrial ice cream that melts in your ears. An incredible industrial song!
The track after this is called ‘Faceless’ is also a great song with a rhythmic beat that echoes the sounds of synced beats continuing through the song. ‘Day of Birth’ is a special song because it commemorates the birth of Stefan Schöltz's first born child and you can hear in the sound that this was a profound experience for him. An awakening of sorts. This song is open and alive with solid drum beats, prophetic samplings and melodic sounds. The next track, ‘Elements’, makes you think of a powerful flow of an essential element like water. Its an even more powerful song because it’s industrial sound just hits the core of what an industrial song should sound like. Following ‘Gazing Eyes’ starts out with a drum experience that is unequalled in the previous songs, pound, pound, pounding beats of desperation and solitude. Gazing eyes with a stare that turns the listener into structured industrial stone. Yet another truly incredible song on this album.
The track after this is called ‘Kraft’ which I think means force or power. It is all in German which really makes you feel the forcefulness of the solid drum and background sound work. The next track, ‘Film’, has an amazing drum beat in the beginning that continues through the rest of the song belting out industrial bliss throughout! Destruction in a song! ‘Absolute Nothingness’ follows and you can hear in this song that the drum beat is so deep it actually reaches the absolute primal industrial sound! Take us to that dark place in the industrial jungle! Yes! Beat that dark sound into us! The sound of pain! The track after this is ‘Fading (like a cloud in a storm)’. It sounds like a landscape of dark skies and thundered beats drifting through the air and into your consciousness. Misty skies that promise dark redemption in the form of sound. The last song, ‘Gamble With a Lie’ is a lot different then the previous songs and seems to spell out the feelings of disappointment that is felt when a lie is discovered. The song reflects the sounds of regret.
I loved this album. It was like the ultimate industrial wet dream! Those of you who love the unequalled sound of pure industrial will really enjoy this album. It will not disappoint and promises torrents of incredible break beats and sampled synthetic sounds that fits perfectly with the industrial soul!
Videos on YouTube (Note: The sound of the songs on YouTube is amazing!):
Absolute Nothingness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYTlmOYX62Q
Elements: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZLHf5F4Flk
Tracklist
01. Init4
02. Sermon
03. Egotrap
04. Research
05. Faceless
06. Day Of Birth (2008/2:13) (feat. Klangstabil)
07. Elements
08. Gazing Eyes
09. Kraft
10. Film
11. Absolute Nothingness (feat. [:SITD:])
12. Fading (Like A Cloud In A Storm)
13. Gamble With A Lie
Line-up
Jan - The Effect
Tino - The Voice)
Stefan - The Sound
Krischan Wesenberg (Rotersand, Straftanz) – Mastering
Websites
www.amnistia.de / www.myspace.com/amnistia / www.darkdimensions.de
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 10
Extras: 9 (The package is rounded off by a full bonus-CD of remixes. Big names like Plastic Noise Experience, Rotersand, Dupont, amGod, Accessory and Daniel Myer (Haujobb / Destroid) deliver great club tracks)
Total: 9 / 10
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