System:FX - We Are The Broken

I think it's only fair to say that after being reviewed twice before on this site, it was only a matter of time before someone or another would attack and love the latest album from System:FX, the energetic and ever popular British electro-industrial duo. It's been near over a year since we've heard from them, however, they've returned with a pretty stellar EP that shows both love to their previous works as well as new landmarks in their recording history.

The EP starts off with something that we're kinda used to in the form of We Are The Broken. However, there was something slightly different in comparison to a lot of their other albums; the vocals. While the beat certainly remains angry and hard, with guitars working all the way throughout to rock us out, Steve's voice sounds just slightly more pissed off. And I absolutely loved it. I can say that I had the same amount of love as I did with this track that I did with the third track, Turn To Rust.

And, to shake things up a bit, we are also delivered two tracks that are different from the normal works of the duo which are WTF and Failure. The first of the two mentioned start off with some crowd jeers; whether or not they're having fun, or just being a bunch of anarchists is beyond me. Whatever they're doing, it certainly sounds like they're just a tad bit excited. As the crowd breaks into silence, piano work and electronics sway in as the vocals creep up. About a minute and a half of an intro is presented before we're slammed straight into more electronics that take center stage over everything else the song has to offer. The samples that have a woman shouting, "What the fuck is going on!?!" just fits so perfectly with the song and caught me off guard.

Failure was a slow and somber song. As you can tell by the title of the track, it was never meant to be all too happy in the first place. For about half the song, we're worked through with samples and an instrumental piece, until some enhanced vocals come into play. But, even then, they are minimal in nature and repeat. I liked the song, but repetition was a bit of a bummer within it.

The fifth track on the EP was a collaborative effort between the stated band as well as with Gemsy Davison, one half of the synthpop act Dreams Divide. As such, the song remains pretty calm before the chorus comes in and hits hard. Both vocalists from each project sing together and create a pretty good tone for the song. As the final effort on the album before the remixes kicked in, it sent me off well.

The first mix we're hit with is from the classical EBM act, Leaether Strip. Mr. Larsen definitely put a good effort turning 21st Century from a guitar filled landscape to a simplistic EBM tune. The breakcore elements from Be My Enemy fill the voids left with Vengeance, while Belgian's Implant spices up Fire with his attitude. Cease2Xist brings in the final mix with Stay In Your Homes, which is perhaps my favorite of the mixes with its focus on more bass and electronics. While the main portion of the album did hit well, I have to admit that the remix section, while good, didn't really beg too much attention from myself.

But, nonetheless, System:FX has brought upon us an album that is worthy to sit on our shelves and be displayed proudly amongst all our other music. The slight tweak in Steve's voice is fantastic; it doesn't brutalize it to something that will stray fans away, but just nudges them slightly so we're given a fantastic treat. The songs that show love to the prior releases in their discography are fun and enjoyable, while the songs that crossover into new territory are still equally appreciated. This is a release for fans and newcomers to check out; I doubt anyone will be disappointed with what's been unleashed with this EP. Apr 11 2014