Matt Hart - BLACK ABYSS

Matt Hart is a name that has become quite synonymous with dark electronic dance beats and the festivals that surround them for quite a bit now. Remixes, original singles and albums, and a non-stop release schedule have all led to the rise of Matt Hart. This has culminated in two things. Number one being that he has officially been parodied by industrial’s very own Musik Pictures I Drawn. Number two that this is the first time he’s going to be reviewed on this website. Though I’m not sure if a review on Brutal Resonance is a mark of honor or bane. Either way, we’re here to give our thoughts on his latest EP “Black Abyss”. 

Let’s start off with the vocals as that’s usually the downside to most releases within the industrial scene. And, well, Matt Hart is no exception. I’m not sure if this was done on purpose but the vocals sound raw and untethered to the beat. Disconnected is the best word I can give it. His voice isn’t terrible, though; he’s doing the standard EBM routine of shouting one to three syllables at a time before dissipating for a few seconds and then coming back again to do it all over again. Between that and his more robotic voice, it’s serviceable. Nothing great, but serviceable. 

The music itself is pretty dope. We’ve a decent EBM bassline with dark electro mechanics running through it’s veins. Rather bouncy, perfect for the dancefloor, which makes me understand why he’s a hit at a lot of live shows. It is a bit repetitious and I would have liked to see a bit more variation throughout the song, but it’s nonetheless fun and worthwhile. 

“Black Abyss” comes with four remixes in total from Opal Dusk, Modulate, Teknovore, and SPANKTHENUN. Opal Dusk leans a bit into darksynth trappings but otherwise remains faithful to the canon mix. Modulate’s remix breaks out into an heavy industrial-techno romp with heavy beats and an electronic line that makes me feel like I’m playing a section in a video game where I’m running away from something as fast as possible. The opening moments of Teknovore’s remix brings forth a rapid bassline and brings out some demonic guttural growls before opening into a fast-paced dark electro dance tune.  The last remix comes from SPANKTHENUN and gives it a good’ol electro-industrial twist, keeping parts of the original mix in line whilst giving it a touch of digital love. Out of all of these, I’m gonna have to give it to Modulate for best remix. 

And thus the score comes into mind. I’ll admit that if this were the single alone I’d probably rate it a 6.5 out of 10. Every time I listen to the original single I just can’t help but flinch at how detached the vocals sound as previously mentioned. Music’s good, vocals are alright, but they’re not playing ball with one another. The remixes, however, are all damned good and elevate this EP to a better level. So, a 7.0 will do.