PTYL - V / Loki

Title: V / Loki
Artist: PTYL
Genre: Glam Industrial
Release Date: 5th February 2010
Label: Danse Macabre



Album Review

There’s pushing the envelope and then there is intentionally trying to piss people off. I know, I’m guilty of it myself - if you let me behind the DJ decks prepared to get fucked with. I’m sure this must be a mind set that Israeli Industrialist PTYL must often find himself in. The fine line between experimental genius and nutter with a synthesizer is being well and truly stomped on here. And best of all it’s a double album. It’s been a while since PTYL’s debut ‘Hell Sounds’ and apparently the in-between years have seen him return to Israel to become more involved in the dark electronic scene there. And the time between releases certainly shows maturation in styles. The music ranges from gritty electro-industrial to harsh electro-dance all of which designed to get the feat moving to the beats often shrouded in layers of vicious effects.

The first disc ‘V’ starts with a bizarre minute long introduction to the album from PTYL before the first song starts, which is also not much longer than a minute. It basically sets you up nicely from an album that is near enough schizophrenic in its approach. The third track ‘Ticks’ gets things off to a real start with a foot tapping bit of harsh electro that almost borders on radio friendly. ‘Motherfucker#’ fluctuates between swirling synths and break beats to harsh noise that gives the listener a bit of fair warning for where things are going to go. ‘Minion’ then turns up those beats and synths again for a stomping electro-industrial track that should make it into a few DJ’s play lists. ‘The Vision’ on the other hand may get left out with it’s display of hard pulses and static drenched beats - it’s as noisy as it is addictive though which is a trend continued through onto the next track ‘Global Killer’. ‘Alma’ on the other hand is almost like one of GARY NUMAN’s recent releases with its dark brooding style of industrial - probably the standout track thus far it ends frustratingly abruptly. ‘Hell’ continues the brooding feeling of the previous track somewhat before ‘Rise’ once again brings that harshness back to the forefront.

‘Faith’ is an interesting one; it’s almost psychedelic-symphonic with its use of classical sounds drenched in Synth effects that suddenly become apocalyptically industrial halfway through. ‘The Taking’ gets a bit rockier but it ultimately feels like a bland offering sandwiched between the previous track and the strange out of time ‘Cunts’. ‘Womb’ revisits that fantastically dark industrial previously heard on ‘Alma’ - this time giving us a full five minutes though. ‘Reverb’, ‘Tempt’, and ‘Longing’ each emphasise different sounds from swirling Synth arcs to glitch electro and electronic a-capella that show just how talented PTYL is to be able to get a semblance of a traditional song-structure from such experimental ideas. ‘They’ goes back to that early harsh electro of the earlier tracks on the album that is rounded off by the straight Synth-pop sound of the final song ‘The Wait’.

The second disc ‘Loki’ has a bit more of a uniform sound and it’s more identifiably electro-industrial through its nineteen tracks. The opener ‘WAR!’ is an angry rant over battle samples resembling a pissed off take on an early LAIBACH track. ‘Drag Dorks in Vampire Suits’ follows on nicely with a slice of classic bit of Wax Trax! style industrial that evokes some of the best bands of the early 90’s. ‘Loathing’ makes good use of a SKINNY PUPPY-a-like beat and Synth arrangement for a very catchy glitch track. The next track ‘Masochism’ is a pared down a slightly drunken sounding drag that is interesting but slightly annoying at over five minutes long. ‘Another Dragon’ on the other hand returns to the SKINNY PUPPY / OHGR territory with a strange mash-up of sounds that is pretty baffling but catchy. ‘Hellstream’ breaks out the crunchy beats and buries the vocals beneath them to create a gritty but danceable track. ‘Sadist Charm’ sounds a bit rockier with the use of guitar samples that gradually builds itself into an interesting track, but it takes a few listens to really get into it. ‘Art is from Venus, Life is from Mars’ is a fantastic title but it is more of a missed opportunity musically - it’s the kind of track that is experimenting and is just missing the mark -  whereas the next track ‘The Method’, while again experimental in feel, is a more well developed song. ‘The Divine Conspiracy’ continues on from the previous two tracks but with a little psychedelic texture added for good feeling. ‘Distress’ is another one of those very short tracks that PTYL likes to do that sounds like it is about to go somewhere interesting and then ends.

‘Hand of our Kin’ returns to the form of the first few tracks with an Alec Empire (circa ‘Golden Foretaste…’) with its layers of beats and clean synths making a very interesting track. ‘00000001’ on the other hand goes plummeting back into the dark industrial abyss for an oppressive sounding track with plenty of those apocalyptic synths. ‘General Victim’ returns to the layers of harsh synths and out of time samples that makes for a very strenuous but rewarding listening experience. The next track ‘ “ “ ’ gets all experimental in a kind of OHRG meets APHEX TWIN kind of way that is just vicious to listen too but works in a redeeming big chorus. ‘Land of Disgust’ is a fast funky track that feels paired down though because of the strange mix on it - it’s still a very catchy and enjoyable one after the previous experiences. ‘West End’ sounds like it has a similar mix that gives its dark industrial structure a more lo-fi feeling. The penultimate track ‘Last Light’ brings to mind SKINNY PUPPY again but with a KILLING JOKE tribal feel to it which makes it a cut above a lot the tracks on the album and finishes it off quite nicely. The album then closes on a five second sample of static that must be the industrial equivalent of ‘Dead’ by Napalm Death.

With two discs of seventeen and nineteen tracks each, listening to ‘V / Loki’ may be a bit too much with its range of experimental ambitions. But it is ultimately a rewarding one. The albums are as equally poppy as they are vicious. The harshest tracks are also surprisingly the most memorable which is a great testament to the talent behind them. My only criticisms are that there were two or three tracks on each album that could have been cut. But telling that to someone whose last album was five years ago isn’t the easiest thing in the world (see Trent Reznor circa ‘The Fragile’).


Tracklist