IIOIOIOII - Post Brimstone [Expanded Edition]

Post Brimstone was originally released as a lovely, dreamy five-track synthpop digital EP by one of my favorite producers out of North Carolina IIOIOIOII. That doesn't say much as I maybe know of one other band out of North Carolina that I listen to on a regular basis but that just means that IIOIOIOII represents the entirety of North Carolina. He's pretty much the president of the industrial scene there and I don't give two fucks if you have something else to say about it. 

Anyway, the EP was distributed through AnalogueTrash whose roster is getting better and better with each passing month. IO was a smart choice for them to pick up after the collapse of the 80s influenced project's old label. The first release from them on the label was Post Brimstone, and since AnalogueTrash has recently gotten a hard on for Limited Cassette releases, it was only a matter of time until IIOIOIOII got their EP re-released as well. I'm not complaining as I happen to love cassettes as they look good and have a retro vibe about them, and seeing how IIOIOIOII has more than enough of a retro vibe infused with his music it fits perfectly. 

I'm not going to go back through the tracks that were on the original EP which were 'Face Them All', 'We Are One', 'Second Chance', 'One Moment', and 'Until There's Nothing Left of Us' as my opinions on those songs have not changed. However, AnalogueTrash and IIOIOIOII have shaken things up a bit by including three new remixes and one original song. 

The new, original song in question would be 'In Disguise'. This one delineates a bit from the other songs on the EP as it has more of an electronica appeal as well as beats fit for a club in the first half of the song. I'd describe this track as a blend of IIOIOIOII's trademark synthpop with witchy elements. 

The recently featured on-site EBM/Futurepop act Nature of Wires took a stab at remixing IIOIOIOII's song 'One Moment'. What I got didn't quite shock me as it reflects their work on their latest album Cyber Rendezvous, but it also gave me good vibes. The remix had harsher sounds attached to it and while one wouldn't think Gurney's softer chords would fit well with the beat, it somehow works. I attribute it to magic. 

Brant Showers from SØLVE gave out an altogether natural remix of 'Second Chance'. In all honesty the song doesn't really sound like a remix at all but comes off as if this is how it was originally produced. In my opinion, that's exactly how a remix should come out. I'm not sure if SØLVE toiled with IO's vocals to make them fit in dragging, ambient texture riddled remix, but either way it was fantastic. 

The last remix on the album came from Alfa-Matrix alumni Avarice in Audio. In their signature style, they turn 'We Are One' from a calmer track into an electro/club banger. If you weren't ready to dance yet, you should be now. 

So, whichever way you decide to get this EP be it digitally or physically, I think it's well worth it. More tracks, more IIOIOIOII, and a pretty little cassette. What's not to love about this Expanded Edition? 
Jul 23 2016