Fractured - Beneath The Ashes

Fractured's 2005's album 'Only Human Remains' really pushed the boundaries of harsh EBM in a year where every man and his dog were distorting their vocals and trying to be Suicide Commando. After a lengthy hiatus, Fractured are back with the follow-up to that album. As expected, 'Beneath The Ashes' is another album that pushes the boundaries of industrial circa 2011.

What can I say about 'Beneath The Ashes'? Firstly, this is not a harsh EBM album. If you come in expecting 'Only Human Remains' pt.II you will leave either disappointed or pleasantly surprised. There is the occasional metal & vocoded robotic voice but the majority of this album contains clean vocals that have more in common with other genres outside of electro-industrial.

Musically, this album is an epic production in every sense of the word. Pianos and string pads start of proceedings in the opening track 'Beneath The Ashes'. During the 50 minute duration we meet dubstep, glitch, melodic EBM, metal, atmospheric, drum & bass and dramatic spoken word. Despite this clash of genres, 'Beneath The Ashes' is a very coherent album. I particularly like the tracks that mash different styles into one, for example the metal meets glitch and dubstep of 'Save Me' and 'Straight Jacket Fashion'.

If given the right promotion, several tracks from this album have a serious chance of latching on outside the boundaries of the EBM, industrial scene. '(You Are) The Voice Inside My Head' and 'Dig' are essentially pop songs; strong chorus, nice strings and instrumentation, melodic vocals and catchy as hell.

'Anaesthetic' brings in M@ from the criminally underrated Encephalon to handle dual vocal duties and 'Transcendental Rage For Fundamentals' brings back It-Clings who you may remember from the intro on Fractured's last album. Something about It-Cling's spoken word rant reminds me stylistically of Boyd Rice at his finest, this piece is complimented by a fine symphonic backdrop.

'Beneath The Ashes' is one of my biggest surprises for 2011. I highly recommend this album to anyone who wants to hear some fresh alternative electronic music. Also, how damn nice is that album art?! Apr 07 2011