[ cell 7 ] - Re:Cognition

When a press kit advises you that you're about to hear "Depeche Mode being mugged by Aphex Twin in a dark alleyway", you take that very seriously.

Or your complacency will wake you up like a punch in the face. Originally from Australia, but currently with members in the Netherlands, [Cell 7] is one of the finest examples of a band you need a Pie Chart to categorise. Industrial Rock, Electro-Industrial, part Glitch, part Futurepop, part IDM, with an aggression and severity that really does sound like the above analogy. Members are : Nick Mueller (Vocals, Guitars, Synths, Violin, Percussion) and Paul Harrison (Piano, Synth).

Doesn't take long for the album to kick in and hit you with the surprising integrity of it. The Guitars are mixed excellently, to make it Industrial Rock where the Synth isn't outplayed, and importantly, the Vocals aren't overwhelmed, and are delivered with the gusto that is needed to revive this genre.

After the aggressive and promising 'Red', the album calms down instantly with the excellent 'The Reason' - which features an absolutely timeless interlude, and Nick's vocals carry traits of Layne Staley, Trent Reznor, and other progenitors of the Grunge and Industrial genres.

Surprise is the order of the day, when later on in the release, we suddenly hear Break-Beat, and despite the band seeming to represent every genre on the board, none of them sound like they're out of place. What musical talent!

The ballad-like intricacies of "Shell" add an extra texture to this already well-polished album, and when you listen to this with headphones on, the amount of detail in the layers, coupled with the variety of sounds and styles make this an undertaking of Monolithic proportions.

It's only when you really take in the amount of talent on this release, do you then find time to sit back and focus on the lyrics, which hold no grudge against the rest of the album, and carry the same level of promise as anything else on here.

I challenge you, to pick a track, any track, listen to a Minute of it, then refer to my review. Your feelings will be right in front of you, like a Psychic has plucked them from the depths of your mind.

If that isn't enough, then there's a cover of REM's "Losing My Religion" - a feat which should surely never be attempted - unless, of course, you are [Cell 7] - Like intended back in 1993, this is a much darker version of a classic Rock song, with a slower Tempo, yet this manages to contain the "Big Band" feel that the Mandolin bought to the original, yet also manages to almost sound like Lexincrypt.

Utterly breathtaking debut album, by a band that will ignite the world of Electronic music.
Only reason I cannot give this a perfect score is because the plethora of genre changes and styles might just put off people who expect this to be "Just" Industrial Rock - and the guys who believe that a band should never evolve? Send my regards to 1999. Here, in 2011, I'm having a party, and [Cell 7] are the soundtrack. May 04 2011