Binary Division - Defcon 2

It's refreshing to hear dark electro/harsh EBM done in such a fine, fine manner after months of looking for a new band in that field who doesn't sound like they ate shit and then spat it back out to the world. Binary Division is a one man band from Cologne, Germany who prefers going by the name 'NeonSynth'. He aims to create dystopian night club songs with a cyberpunk twist, and his most recent album Defcon 2 urges that style out. 

Binary Division began releasing music back in 2014 with their debut The Arrival. Demos soon came after that along side a couple of reworked tracks, and their next single Riot Rebellion hit the market next. Featuring plenty of remixes from the likes of Studio-X and Nitro/Noise Binary Division was getting himself on the map. It's with his latest album Defcon 2 that the producer takes all that he's learned from his mistakes across time and corrects them. 

'Briefing' starts off the album with a cinematic opening with robotic overtones. Someone is being told to eliminate rebellious targets who are trying to destroy the corporate structure; it's a similar plot we've heard time and time again in cyberpunk fiction, but you can't help but get wound up once the alarm goes off and the track transitions into the title song 'Defcon 2'. A steady array of techno beats, cyberpunk electronics, and distorted screams soon takeover the track. 

The next track 'Hacker' comes off much more trance-laden with several moments of good, dance-worthy beats. 'Alone' continues the stomping dark electro beats while 'My World' has an undertone of EBM and some good synth work. I wasn't a huge fan of 'Sunset Overdrive' for when I compared it to the quality of the other songs on the album it sounded like a demo. By the time I hit 'Resistance' it felt like it was a repeat of previous tracks efforts, just with new samples and the like. However, the renewed version of 'Riot Rebellion' was a decent attempt at showing how Binary Division has changed his sound from the past to the present. 

Binary Division's sound is good and harkens back to just a few years ago when dark electro/harsh EBM was at its peak of popularity. While the sound has gained notoriety as somewhat of a no-go zone thanks to so many musicians who plagued the genre with shitty releases and basement quality recordings, Binary Division is slamming out that stereotype. Give it a listen! 
Oct 11 2016