CD Review: God Module - Séance

Artist: God Module
Title: Séance
Style: Electro / EBM
Release Date: 7th October 2011
Label: Out Of Line

Album Review

'Séance' is the 10th release of the US-American Electro / Industrial band GOD MODULE, and in many ways they continue what their fans love about their earlier works. If you are looking for a challenging, innovative Electro album then 'Séance' is probably not the album of your choice but if you want dance-floor orientated underground Electro with distorted vocals, pounding beats and dark, creepy atmospheres - some would call this “Harsh Electro” or “Hellectro” - then the most recent GOD MODULE output should attract your attention. The fine art work with the picture of an early 20th century spiritualistic session on the front sleeve sets the mood of the album, although the music is certainly much more modern than this black & white photograph might imply. GOD MODULE put all their adeptness of a 12-year career into 'Séance', and while it hardly breaks into new territory for the band or its genre it is a well-produced record which is from start to finish equally spooky 'n dark as well as club-friendly.

The album starts with the gloomy mid-tempo track 'Ouija' but GOD MODULE accelerate the pace for pretty much the rest of the record with the second song, 'Devil's Night'. A foolproof contestant for all DJ sets which in a weird way reminds me on 1990s Euro-Dance such as 2 UNLIMITED with its swirling and hymnist hook. Over the stomping beats the deep, distorted grunts of Jasyn Bangert battle against the luring female vocals of his wife Courtney - a recipe that works well for many tracks on 'Séance'. Although an American band, GOD MODULE often sound pretty European in a way, with many parallels to Electro/Industrial acts from the old world such as SUICIDE COMMANDO, AGONOIZE or COMBICHRIST. The track 'M.D.K' even has a rhythm pattern that seems to be directly lifted from a COMBICHRIST track but on the other hand it's another dead proof club anthem for all Industrial dance-floors.

That GOD MODULE also have a talent for tuneful melodies proves 'Doppelgänger', and thankfully they embed the hook in a groovy beat instead of clubbing the melody to death with heavy-weight bass. Definitely one of the finest moments of the album! Another highlight is ' Into the Outside' with which GOD MODULE enter Synth Pop territory and where Jasyn Bryant commits the lead vocals to his female counterpart. The sweet moment of the album! 'Remember' is the other mid-tempo track of 'Seance', and this time it's Clint Carney on the mike. His clean and undistorted singing adds some more variation to the album. The album is ending with ' Afraid of the Light', another one of the album's highlights which has all the GOD MODULE ingredients, from the killer bass to a memorable hook to haunting movie samples, and last but not least Jasyn Bangert's spooky and aggressive vocals.

'Séance' is probably not the best album in GOD MODULE's back catalogue, and to be honest I felt a bit lackadaisical about the album during the first few listens. But the albums is a grower! There are some moments when the admittedly well-crafted music feels a actually bit too formulaic. But GOD MODULE often save the moment by adding a tongue-in-cheek feel to their “Horror Industrial” and “Devil Music”, as they name their style themselves, and their production skills and haunting melodies make sure that their ahead of most other acts of their musical genre. In the end 'Séance' is a club album so it works best when you listen to it on high volume. The European edition comes with a free bonus EP which was released in the US as an individual single. The EP includes five remixes of 'Rituals' and one remix of 'Remember' and 'Devil's Night', respectively. A nice extra although none of the remixes is essential. Personal favourite here is the 'White Ring Mix' of 'Rituals', which turns the dance beast into a creepy, grim ballad.


Tracklist

Line-up

Jasyn Bangert - vocals, synth, programming
Courtney Bangert - vocals, live keyboards)
Clint Carney - vocals, live keyboards)


Website

http://www.godmodule.org


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 7
Sound: 9
Extras: 6
Total: 7.3 / 10