Various Artists - Foundations

It's not so often that I enjoy reviewing compilation albums, that I will admit loudly and proudly. I usually despise doing so, as compilation albums showcase so many artists at once that usually half of them I really don't like, a quarter of them are alright, and then the last quarter of them are decent. And it's a very rare case, if ever, I find a perfect song on the compilation album. Which is why I was very cautious when taking on 'Foundations', a two CD compilation via Juggernaut Services that shows off all their goodies.

So, with a wince I dove deep head forth into the waters of 'Foundations', and I actually found myself quite surprised by what I found. I was actually enjoying myself; practically every single song within the thirty-track compilation had me nodding in approval, and saying, "That's not too bad." But, as it is, I feel the need to go through each song one at a time, as I said, it's a compilation. There's over a dozen different acts present, each showcasing what they're good at, so there really isn't any trend setting going on, except for the fact that the first CD, "Calming Cyclones", is more relaxed in comparison to its companion, "Moving Mountains". Anyway, off we go.

Biomechanimal - CommonWealth (Feat. Cryogenic Echelon and Studio-X):
This is just a great fucking way to begin any album. It begins with a classical music flavoring, that immediately drops into a much harsher beat, accompanied by power drums. And I also found some elements of dubstep present with the song, but I actually liked how it was incorporated. It wasn't enough dub step as to actually fuck up the whole song, but rather boasted it to greatness. The heavy synth work, however, took the stage over everything else.

Retrogramme - Sanctuary:
This was an interesting song, as it came out extremely bit like, very retro sounding to me. Which is good, because as much as I don't really enjoy playing retro games, there's always a certain feel I get about them that makes me happy. I could really see this song being used in a 2D platformer.

Pittersplatter - Mummies and Music Boxes:
The beginning of the song is absolutely creepy to a point, but it's a good creepy, as the music box that plays sets the mood for the rest of the song. It then transcends into a song reliant on synths, but remains great throughout. The synths play along with the vocals, as well, making it very awesome.

Revenant Cult - Spectral Heresy (Aeon Club Mix):
This is a song that is very beautiful. It has light synths, with a humming that goes well in the background. Well, maybe not a humming, but someone is holding a very angelic like voice in the song, and I found it awesome. I mean, I sound like fucking Frankenstein taking a shit whenever I sing, so this is sweet and charming to me. When the vocals kick in, I don't think they really went along with the beat too well. The original song was much slower than the club mix, but that's why it's called a mix. Not everything is going to be perfect. It was still a very wonderful song, despite the minor issue.

Draconic Elimination Projects Feat. MiXE1: Violet :
There is a very fast paced, almost running like sound throughout the song, which is then followed up by more and more beats. The song definitely improves itself when the vocals kick in. There is one male and a female voice, a little digital enhancement kicked onto it, and a screaming voice acts as an echo to the main vocals. It definitely works very nice. I preferred the heavily distorted vocals that came into the song about two and a half minutes in, but that's just my opinion. That's what I enjoy. Overall, the song always sounds like it's building up to something massive, but never really reaches that point of exploding.

United and Identified - Mirror of Denial:
Alright, I'm just going to say that this song is the mother fucking powerhouse of the first CD. It starts off with a very interesting quote, saying, "While I was twelve years old, my stepfather first started having sex with me." It caught my attention, and I was expecting a song about rape, or some sort of miserable sexual act. But, instead I was greeted with an extremely moving song about denying your past, and not being able to move on. It's a very powerful message wrapped in an amazing song; if this track were a single, I would definitely give it a perfect score.

FutureFrenetic - P45:
This song had me bobbing my head right away, and if anything, that's a sign that it's going to be a good song. A robotic voice comes in and is very suitable with the song. When the regular vocals come in, I felt as if they were a bit low. If they were equalized to the beat, I feel as if it would have been much better. Don't take that as a scar on the song, though; it is still very fun to move to and to listen to.

Draconic Elimination Projects - Daisy:
I really don't have much good to say about this song. It's an electronic song, and it really didn't impress me all too much. Just like with their previous song on the compilation, it has this awesome build up, but never fully acts on it. And then it gets ugly at the end with harsher beats that randomly pop up.

Plastic Noose - Road to Perdition:
This is where I got a little worried with the compilation. This is another song I didn't like all too much, and that's two in a row. I don't want to listen to someone making their selves hard, because with lyrics such as, "I wanna make you wet," and "I wanna lick your body," definitely sounds like someone is trying to get off. Song really wasn't all too instrumentally great, either.

Kaltherzig - Messiah:
REDEMPTION. And thank God for it. The drum work stands at the forefront of this song, and then it develops into what I guess would be a synthpop song. Or electro pop. One or the other. Some sort of fucking pop. I felt as if the vocals were trying to overpower the music; don't do that. Let your instruments do half the work. Split it fifty-fifty, not seventy-thirty. Still a good song despite my complaints.

Pittersplatter - Frozen:
There's an almost military style drum roll in the beginning, like someone is trying to get a message across through Morse code, and it sounds awesome. A distorted little girl's voice, at least that what it sounds like, kicks in as well, and it is fucking awesome. Kind of creepy, as well, but still fucking awesome. And Pittersplatter's standard vocals come in, and it still sounds awesome as always. A great song all around.

United and Identified - X-Truth-E:
Slow start in the beginning, but then kicks up to a nice beat later on in the song. I found myself bobbing my head again. Now, the lyrics are once again deep and meaningful, but is more or less a love song. And I am not a sap for love songs. It's still a great song, it just depends whether or not you're into love songs. I'm not.

Controlled Collapse - Cube (Retrogramme Remix):
I immediately saw Retrogramme's influence on the song with their bit sounding beat, almost retro like once more. The lightly enhanced vocals that come in are nice, however I felt as if I was listening to a very repetitious song, as if I were caught in a loop. It was still awesome, either way I look at it.

Revenant Cult - Spectral Heresy (Blast Radius Scarlet Light Remix):
I shouted in joy as soon as I saw that Blast Radius was behind the remix of this song. They are fucking great with their instrumentals, and they used their talents to full effect with this song. The way Blast Radius is able to take a song to one extreme and immediately move it to another still sends chills down my spine. Again, the vocals are amazing, just as in the previous remix. This song is fucking epic in every sense of the word.

Rein[Forced] - Dichotomy (Sensous Enemy Remix):
Alright, with this song being the last one on Calming Cyclones, I had some positive hopes for it. And the track did pay off. The beginning vocals cut in and out real fast, which was experimental, but didn't really work out too well. The whole song, though, does improve as it moves along, and really comes together at the end.

Garten der Asche - Nemesis:
Now, this song kicks off the second CD, "Moving Mountains", and this CD is much more heavy than the first. It proves so with this song, which is a very EBM style song. The vocals fit very well, as they are a little distorted and go along with the fast flow of the song.

RetConStruct - The Maelstrom:
This song is very, very heavy. And I love it. The vocals are extremely distorted and make a nice effect. However, it is very hard to hear what they're are saying throughout the song. Also, the vocals are very angry sounding, and goes greatly along with the song.

Kommand + Kontrol - Gods + Monsters:
This song caught my attention with the robotic voice and the many samples that intertwined with one another. It then heads into an electronic tune, with drops of bass every so often, accompanied by drums. That all sounds nice, but then an electronic guitar comes in. It's okay, but not great. However, what does make this song so good is just how everything comes together.

System:FX - Destroyer:
This song doesn't really wait for much, cuts the bullshit, and just gets into the thick of things. It's fast paced, and electronic, with synths lightening up the show. The vocals are a bit low, but the beat is very dance like. It really gets better during the chorus and later in the song, as that's when everything mixes and mingles and becomes awesome.

Controlled Collapse - Fragment of Time (Feat. Aleksandra Burska):
This song serves as a very nice break, at least for the moment. It's slower in comparison to the rest of the CD, but is nice in the midst of a bunch of harsher songs. The synth and electronic work is pulled off wonderfully, and is exemplary.

Tactical Module - Dead Zone V2.0:
This song begins off very heavy, with guitar work and an almost ghost like screaming. It continues on that path, and remains fairly heavy throughout. The guitar, however, just doesn't seem to go along with the song. Whether this is just personal opinion or not, it's still an opinion. However, when the synths are present, the song sounds much better.

Tapewyrm - Marionette:
This song, well, it's ugly. It is extremely repetitive, and I felt like shutting it off thirty seconds in. The low resilience of the song is done purposefully, but it doesn't change the fact that it sounds muddy. As more beats enter the song, it just becomes more and more disgusting.

Fearpassage - Falling For You:
This is another song that begins off slow. It's almost Sci-fi-ish in the beginning, and makes me think of like a grand UFO just coming into view. When the vocals come in, they are pretty awesome. It's distorted to a point, but at the end of each line, they fade out. This is another extremely well done song, and so far my favorite on the album.

Stahlnebel & Black Selket - Life Sentence:
Another song that catches me right away with the intro, and another song that automatically made me start bobbing my head. Mind you, this was not conscious bobbing, it just kind of happened. The samples have a great placement within the song, which is a problem I usually have with most songs, and I appreciate that. I take back what I said about the previous song; this has now become my favorite on the CD.

Eschaton Hive - Im Ur Stalker:
Annoying in the beginning, I will admit to that, but then it immediately cuts out of that bullshit and goes into an indutrial-metal sort of song. The vocals, which is more like just shouting, don't really impress all too much, but still go along with the song. I could really see this being used as a theme song in a fighting game, like Mortal Kombat. I'm pretty sure that if this were a music video, someone's head would be getting ripped off.

RetConStruct - Invasive Species:
This is another RetConStruct song, but that in no way is a bad thing. The song is very electronic, but also very harsh at the same time. The vocals, at least for the first minute, are barely audible, but fixes itself after that segment. Perhaps that was purposefully done, but I still didn't appreciate it all too much.

Tapewyrm - Dust2Dust (Demo):
After Tapewyrm's last song on the CD, I was a bit apprehensive going into this song. It's a song, well, not song, more like noise. Which is still a genre in of itself, and it is pulled off very well. While it may give me a headache, fans of the genre should definitely find something to appreciate out of this.

System:FX - F.K.D. (System:FX Remix):
This remix, if you couldn't tell by the title, was done by the same band who made the original song. And it is very club like, and is damn suitable for a rave. Didn't really care for the sample that constantly repeated itself, going, "Eat. Shit. Fuck." Song was very fun despite that.

Tactical Module - Erase the Defect (Remix by Cease2Exist):
I liked the beat of this song a lot, with the synths stealing the show. However, the human vocals didn't really win me over, and I would have preferred hearing the robot a lot more that only appeared for two seconds.

Bestias de Asalto - come Mierde y Muere (Sodomy Down the Cross Remix):
Alright, so, this song has a lot to hold up. I mean, it is the last song on the compilation, so it needs to give me a good final impression. The beginning immediately caught my attention with just a bunch of random sounds accompanying each other alongside some synths. A scream then signals the song coming in, which did so by making my eyes widen. And that's a good thing, for it had me moving my feet to the beat. I'm glad the compilation ended on a good song.

Alright, so, now that I've went through each and every song on the compilation, I can happily say that this is a triumph. Sure, I may have found a few songs that weren't to my tastes, but I am a picky bastard and can easily trash talk any song if I honestly felt like it. Besides, when there is a slew of talent in one spot, you can't expect to like each and every single song that is played.

Not only that, but when you have fucking fantastic songs, such as United and Identified's "Mirror of Denial" and Stahlnebel and Black Selket's "Life Sentence" breathing talent down the back of this compilation, there is no way you can go wrong. I can highly recommend this compilation to anyone that I talk to. If you don't find something to like on it, you might as well just go ahead and fucking kill yourself. Because 'Foundations' was fucking fantastic, and I would listen to it all over again, despite the few flaws it may have. Mar 11 2013