Shadow System - Dark by Design

Shadow System is a pretty unique project all-in-all. They have three members representing three different areas of the world (Australia, Italy, North Ireland), and because of their blend, they've been able to pull a wide variety of influences from everywhere. This includes industrial, dance, trance, techno, electro, but nothing's more important than knowing that these guys love bass.

A lot of this stuff is solid for the dance floor; tracks like "Twisted Sex Malfunction" keeps the bass pumping and the tempo fast. However, a lot of the times, I feel as if the songs are way to repetitive. Which is a shame, because the beats are awesome, but there just isn't much variation. When a song rolls, you'll usually get everything it's about within the first two minutes.

"L'Art De Moi Destruction" was definitely an attention grabber. Rather than thrusting the listener straight into the same dance routine, it starts off with this almost saddening piano work backed by a violin. It's not what you would expect from this album, but the electronic soon enough dominates the song, combined with viscerally distorted vocals. This song got it done right; it varied, it surprised me, and it worked very well.

I got excited as well with "Feel Me Fuck Me", as the synth notes and bass really did well, but with the minimalist lyrics really just repeating the title of the song, it felt as if this was written by an over eager thirteen year old trying to get laid as fast as possible at a middle school dance. Other than that, the song was pretty good.

"Dark by Design" was one of the slower songs, just sticking to a slow electronic tune, and dare I say that it very slightly experimented with limited Dub Step aesthetics. However, I just didn't find it too enjoyable. It was unique, but it just didn't hit as hard as a lot of the other songs.

"Coded Shame" was really boring at first to me, but when the two minute mark rolls around, you're blown in the face with pure techno and trance inspired elements that just pulsate in your face and leaves your hair standing on your neck. If I could dance, I would definitely dance to this in the dark. Sadly, when I dance, I look like a half paralyzed fish flopping on dry land.

Now, the album also had a second disc filled with a bunch of remixes. The first remix I jumped to was Ginger Snap5's remix of "The Nihilist Machine," for I am a fan of the project, and I was not saddened with what I got. I liked this version of the song better than the original. However, the remixes are hit and miss. I was not a fan of the Noisuf-X remix of "Twisted Sex Malfunction" or the Amduscia remix of "Nailed".

The album still remains as a good dance album. I could definitely play this and dance to it (if only I could). I like a lot of the songs on the album, with "L'Art De Moi Destruction" being a favorite of mine, but then there are other songs that are just a bit lyrically absent, such as "Feel Me Fuck Me". The remix album serves as a nice addition, but is very hit and miss for me. Still a good album, nonetheless, and, as always, I look forward to seeing what this project has in store for us next. Jul 18 2013