Cyclotimia - E$chaton

This is the latest album from the Russian duo. An album inspired by western culture and the digital future. Media and money transfers play a central role in the music that is an attempt to create a soundtrack for the western civilization. There are the heavy industrial sounds mixed with media samplings and more noise like sounds.

The songs that made the strongest impression on me is the opening track "Leviathan", "Manhattan" with it's samplings from the WTC attack on the 9/11. Even "Norns II" and "Crusade" is really good. "Meltdown" goes more to the EBM-sound but still it keeps the Cyclotimia sound. But the best track on the whole CD is the last one, "Gloria". Its ten and a half minutes of pure musical satisfaction.

And the layout on the CD, the case and booklet is pure pleasure to look at too. I don't want to speculate in the meaning of it because I think it's up to each and every viewer to make up his/her own mind of it's meaning.

'E$chaton' have been out in the Russian stores for about 6 months but it haven't been available on the European market until now. And it is a CD I strongly recommend. And I can also recommend Cyclotimia's earlier releases as well.

This review was written 2005 and initially published on Neurozine.com Jan 01 2005