 Label Cop International Reviewed by Released Visit Last Edit/Update |
Cop
International Presents Track Listing Diva X Machina II is the second release by Cop International in celebration of female fronted Industrial-Goth bands. In conjunction with the Women FIG awards at Cop International this summer in San Francisco, Last Sigh Is pleased to review this wonderful asset in the realm of underground music. Many of the bands listed here you may already know, but if you don't, order this CD now, as it is an excellent addition to any CD collection as it portrays a wide variety of "industrial" sounds from the more mellow works of Ivoux to the hard hitting "slap in your face industrial" of Luxt. A powerful rendition of 162's Darkness (ArenaMix), begins the journey into the release, then you cruise into Magenta's ominous drums, sassy and fuzzy guitars in One Mind. Battery is a bit more on the "high energy" side of things with Maria's vocals taking lead in a techno- blend of The Betrayal. There is No Escape when your player clicks to Sabotage's fast paced techno- edged electronic movements, and then we come to Luxt 's Spite...well they just kick it hard anyway you look at it. Not to mention they were GREAT live in Denver in June! (Don't miss them on tour with Hate Dept coming soon to a thrash bar near you!) Tribal drumming and bass accent quirkey synths in Lucid Dementia's Twisted, and spiraling electronic ambience, dreamy and escapist marks the track by Donna Regina in Make My Nana, (Planet Me CD). Dark and eerie electro-noise begins Hypocrite by Clan Of Xymox then spring jumps into 4:4 beat of guitar, drums and vocals: "Did you ever try to cross your heart and hope to die?" A series of stormy bursts of guitar, drums and fast paced lyrics would onset Hanzel & Gretyl's Pleiadian Agenda, then surprisingly next, 99Kowalski (vocals) sets the stage for Dive by Evulva -- intense speedy electro with excellent harmonic background of synths. Interesting combination. Tapping The Vein's Butterfly slows down the action -- bass heavy yet synth lite, Heather (vocals) breaks flight into a hard core corus and guitars Buzzing! A bit of the more "Gothic" end of the cd is heard with This Ascension's errie and powerful work Serpents Serenade and next, RaZor Skyline flows with synth and harmony, layered with tasty guitar in Exit Zero. A more romantic piece of work exists on Diva X with Kirlian Camera's Your Face In The Sun, -- Emilia's vocals are artistically in sync and wonderfully orchestrated. The final track, from the debut CD of Ivoux, a side project of Battery, hauntingly portrays in sweet and soft electronica the Norse tale of Sif, wife of Thor, from the Frozen release (1998). Overall, this is a rich and diverse CD with a great deal to offer those of you who are fans of any of these bands, COP International, or interested in a new direction with Women Industrial-Gothic underground. Diva X Machina II is an important addition to have on hand for DJ's -- if you can break the crowd into it that is! However there are enough better known bands here that you shouldn't have much of a problem getting the fans to dance to this one.
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