The Gothsicles - I Feel Sicle

The Gothsicles 2014 album Squid Icarus was an absolute hit with the industrial scene among fans and critics alike. The industrial club vibe of the release along with hilarious collaborations with fellow artists such as Cyferdyne and Angelspit were amazing. The nerdy, 8-bit era video game humor within also led the album into different territory that the scene is used to. In all other words, Squid Icarus was absolutely smashing. Nearly two years after Squid Icarus has hit the market, The Gothsicles have returned with their brand new album i feel sicle. 

i feel sicle is a good follow up to Squid Icarus as it has the same sense of stylized humor frontman Brian Graupner has input since the band's inception. You only really need to look at the track list to understand this is not a serious album. '4 Fat Guys', 'This Is What the Brujah Clan Will Do To All You Gangrels', and 'Mermaids vs. Manticores' should have you understand where The Gothsicles are coming from. 

i feel sicle still has a club vibe about it such as with the starting track 'Unbkannt In Deutschland', the obnoxiously long titled 'This Is What The Brujah Clan Will Do To All You Gangrels', 'Magnetic Shield', and '+8 XP'. What you're going to notice is a rebalanced focus on Graupner's shouting, nerdy vocals as well as dark electro distortion. While certain songs on his previous outing such as 'Moon Knight Is Cool' went all out 8-bit dark electro with digitally distorted vocals, Graupner's shouting dominated most of the album. On i feel sicle there's an equal amount of shouting and distorted vocals alike. 

The beats are not nearly as heavy as the previous album but you'll still want to get up and dance to the ridiculous songs on the album. They're funny and make for an all around good time. Especially '4 Fat Guys'. That's not a song that you'll want to miss. 

As far as collaborations go, The Gothsicles tapped into the talents of both Toril Lindqvist of Swedish electro-punk group Alice In Videoland for the song 'Multi-Laired' as well as darkwave/EBM singer Sirenne on the track 'Mermaids vs. Manticores'. Both do a damned decent job, but seeing how 'Mermaids vs. Manticores' is perhaps my favorite track on the album, I highly recommend you check that one out above all else. 

While i feel sicle is fun and well humored, I didn't really feel the same high-octane energy that I am used to from The Gothsicles. The album has their stamp and unique trademarks all about, but it was lacking a tad bit, not by much. But, considering that's my only real complaint about the album - which is a minor one at that - i feel sicle holds up very well. So, once again tapping into their nerdy side, Graupner and friends have cranked out another hilarious, 8-bit induced album with a couple of wonderful collaborations and dance floor hits. 
Nov 15 2016