Title: The Death of Romance
Artist: Zeromancer
Genre: Industrial Rock
Release Date: 26th February 2010 (GSA) / 5th March 2010 (Rest of Europe)
Label: Trisol
Album Review
I think we all remember how long we've been waiting for the last album 'Sinners International' to come out, and for many fans it marked a return to form for the Norwegian band. The only reason the new album 'The Death of Romance' is coming out already a good year later can be a creative burst in the ZEROMANCER camp, and I for one am glad it has come to that.
The new record starts with an instrumental intro of brooding darkness, using speech samples that are made to unsettle the minds of the listeners to the final revelation of the lady at the end. The outbreak comes with the 'Industrypeople' and a rhythm forcing its will and violence upon you, while Alex furiously screams out the words which especially in the chorus contrast the vigorous delivery. "We are the Industrypeople / Don't feel anything..." When first listening to 'The Hate Alphabet' my first thought was that this song must be a part of the live set of the upcoming tour. The beginning comes with electronic bleeps and hums and then it kind of explodes and the beats crash into the floor, making it quake with the eruption they leave. The harsh industrial guitars cut a swath while meandering around dark synth and the voice of Alex is scarred by rage and contempt. It's astounding how real he can make it for the listener.
Whatever the conclusion you draw from the title 'The Death of Romance' and the mood the ethereal curtain of guitars that descends upon you unfolds, it shouldn't be that there's no hope left for you. There's indeed hope in this song; just look at these lines "It's the death of you and me / It's not the end you see". By the way, if you're not getting at least some goose bumps when that part appears you must be dead. 'The Pygmalion Effect' creates a subtle tension with the combined bass and melodic guitar work atop the omnipresent drums. The song never really erupts but keeps you thinking it's about to all the time. Besides, its sound details make it a feast to listen to it over headphones. 'The Plinth' marches through grey urban canyons to evolve to a clean industrial rock song with an atmosphere only ZEROMANCER can inject. It's brooding all the time under its surface and that's what's making it so intriguing. 'Mint' is the early pinnacle of the record before the very last song.
The mere fact that it's a ballad already is reason enough to listen to it as ZEROMANCER have a knack for this kind of songs. But the real sensation is Alex' vocal part which can't be rated high enough. It's the best on the entire album, some even go that far to say its his best ever. That'll be something everyone has to decide for themselves. 'V' as the album's closer utilizes a similar rhythm as 'The Hate Alphabet'. The synth layers are being pushed to the back seat here to emphasize the overall industrial and rock elements in the song, and particularly the rock parts are really strong this time. 'The Death of Romance' brings back ZEROMANCER even closer to their industrial rock roots than 'Sinners International' did, and with instinctive certainty they manage not to fall back into established formulas but looking forward and lifting the sound up to the next level. It's still ZEROMANCER but different. Don't miss out on this record.
Tracklist
01. 2.6.25 - 0:46
02. Industrypeople - 4:15
03. The Hate Alphabet - 4:07
04. The Death Of Romance - 3:27
05. The Pygmalion Effect - 4:27
06. Murder Sound - 3:46
07. Revengefuck - 3:29
08. Virgin Ring - 4:01
09. The Plinth - 5:21
10. Mint - 6:09
11. V - 4:41
Line-Up
Alex Møklebust - Vocals
Kim Ljung - Bass, Vocals
Dan Heide - Guitar
Noralf Ronthi - Drums
Lorry Kristiansen - Keyboards
Website
http://www.zeromancer.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/zeromancerzentral
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 9 / 10
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