ReStruKture - UnDeath

ReStruKture (or RSK for short) was found in 2015 by the Australian duo TZ and KXT. Utilizing old school industrial philosophy, they acquired whatever musical items they could and misused them to form dark, experimental creations. Their first demo "ID Demo" was released in 2006 and contained the songs 'Free Sektor' and 'Fringe Politikz'. Only one year later did their debut release "The God Inc." come out in full and, from what I can see on the cover art, focused on crooked politicians while the people suffered. Their enthusiasm for the genre continued when they released their next album "Street Level" in 2008 which kept up their sound design of whispered vocals and experimental electronics. Before their inevitable hiatus, RSK released the "AntiStruKture" EP. A little over ten years of silence followed after. With founding member KXT departed, TZ has returned to the scene with their new EP "UnDeath". 



I've spent a majority of my rides to and from work listening to the band's discography and, while "UnDeath" certainly does not sound bad, it also fails to stray from a beaten path. The whispering vocals on both 'Capture' and 'Skin' are wicked and probably wouldn't be the voice you'd wanna hear while laying in the dark at night. The voice is creeping ever slowly toward me, like a ghost hand traveling up around your back only to tighten around your neck. It's soft and ominous and altogether haunting. However, if we take a look at a random release such as 2008's "Street Level", the first song on the album 'Murder' contains an extremely similar vocal styling. Rather than being dragged out, however, the lyrics are sung a bit faster to fit with the song's rhythm. This is what I'm talking about when it comes to repetitive nature; the vocals, as good as they are, need a bit of variety in execution. Otherwise I feel like I'm listening to an extension of what ReStruKture was doing in the past.

Musically, though, ReStruKture shines. I was wrapped in an electronic vortex when I hit the play button on 'Capture'. Various elements and unexpected sounds come out to play with an eerie background synth biting into fear and animosity. The consistent drum work gives the song faux rhythm that I thought I could catch onto one moment, but was then thrown off by a new sound coming out of left field. The sounds on 'Capture' demand attention and I was enthralled by its beats. 'Skin' feels like it should have flowed directly out from 'Capture' as many of the same feelings I had about the previous song sing true here. It's not as bombastic, that's for sure, but it keeps up an eerie and soul devouring aura nonetheless. Heading into the third track on the EP, 'Sleep', is where I noted that there's a bit of jazz influence to the overall album. At least that's how I feel; imagine if you were in a seedy, underside bar filled with goths in trench coats, smoking in a noir-drenched scenario. These are the images that flood my head when I listen to this EP. 

While "UnDeath" is certainly a welcome return for ReStruKture, the project needs to innovate with their vocals. I could easily mix up both 'Capture' and 'Skin' with their previous outputs. Speaking on the music, however, is a different story. I feel as if 'UnDeath' could have easily been one long mix where each song traveled into the next. Part of me wants to hear that version of the EP. As explained above, I almost feel as if this EP could be Jazz for Goths and rivetheads. The experimental nature of ReStruKture is where they excel; they just need to take their philosophy with music into their vocals to really push themselves to new heights. 

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Dec 13 2020