Scar Limit - Threshold

You know, I think I'll start off this review with a personal little story. I really didn't listen to music at all when I was young. I still am young, only 19, but before that, I really just didn't listen to anything, as it didn't appease to my ears. As shocking as this may sound, I really didn't jam out to anything for quite a while. That was until I was introduced to industrial when I was about fourteen. However, even then, I still didn't get too heavily into it. I then started to explore the genre a lot more, and by the time I was sixteen, I couldn't get enough of it.

And the main reason, I think, that I stay hooked onto the genre is because of the pulse pounding beats and harsh vocals that encompass industrial. I just cannot find the same satisfaction anywhere else in the whole musical spectrum. And it's mainly because of bands such as Scar Limit that I continue to appreciate the genre, and maybe even have a few wet dreams over.

Now, not to say that the album is not without its kinks, but 'Threshold' is Scar Limit's first CD release, and is it ever deserving of being on a CD. The intro to the album, appropriately titled "Begin" had me worried at first; it sounded like something generic, something that I've heard a thousand times before. But then the rest of the songs came steam rolling along, and shut out my negative reaction.

The three songs right after "Begin" are testimony to that, as they each deliver in their separate way. "Nothing Left" sounds like a standard Harsh EBM, dark electro song (Who knows what the difference between the two sun genres are; they really sound the same to me. I might get a bite in the ass later on for saying this.) It has the same fast paced beats as the rest of songs underneath the category does, and the vocals are just as distorted. It wasn't the most original, but was still fun listening to.

"Indifferent Illusion" is more like an aggrotech song, I suppose. It has a lot of electro beats swelled within it, and the vocals are, if anything, lightly altered with computer enhancements. And then "We Are A Sickness" rolls along, and this plays out more like an electronic song. There is a robotic voice all throughout the song, and the beat is fast and fluid.

Now, those are just three of the beginning songs that I just went through on this fifteen track album, but each one was drastically different from the last in how it delivers. And, man, do I LOVE it when an artist can deliver a shit ton of different elements on one album.

However, I did grow weary of the album as it dragged along. The first three songs were so varied, and the rest try to follow that path, but then I am just delivered with more of the same. Each song after just sounds like the same, too much the same. They are still very nice and what not, but I would've preferred more delineation than not.

Also, on the Bandcamp page, the artist provides the lyrics for all of their songs. And I automatically give points to Scar Limit for doing such an act, as I find few bands willing to actually give me their lyrics on Bandcamp. Why? I don't know. Maybe it's because somewhere in their songs, they're saying, "Steve sucks dick," and just don't wanna show me their lyrics in fear that I'll give them a bad score on a future or current review. Don't worry, guys. I won't do that. I'll just suck your dick, instead.

Anyway, moving on, the lyrics are pretty decent. I think my favorite lines in any of the songs come from "Synthetic Dream". It's a combination of the robotic vocals, along with combining computer terminology (as simple as it may be) with poetry that makes it work so well in my eyes.

Now, what is a review without a conclusion? Scar Limit has delivered a very beefy album filled with fifteen songs. Sure, some it may sound like a repeat of what was already presented previously on the album, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The songs are all still a blast to listen to. And for seven bucks as a digital download, you're practically paying a little less than fifty cents per song. And that's a deal if I've ever seen one. Go buy it, and give the album a nice home in your music library. Apr 06 2013