SurgeryHead - Lucifer's Technology (Devil Sounds Pt. III)

Surgeryhead is a dark electronic project influenced by the likes of industrial, EBM, and French electro with a taste of the darksynth scene thrown in for good measure. If by looking at the cover art for this album alone you could not tell, Surgeryhead had a wonderful childhood raised on 1980s horror movies. This has seeped into his music on more than one occasion, most notably with his most recent series "Devil Sounds". This trilogy began in March of 2020 with the release of "VILE CANDY (DEVIL SOUNDS pt I)" and was quickly followed by "DOMINANT OF WITCHCRAFT (DEVIL SOUNDS pt.II)". These releases have been described by Surgeryhead as containing the signature style of previous singles, EPs, and albums, while throwing in cinematic and ambient influences. 



Thus we come to 2021 where Surgeryhead has released the final part in their Devil Sounds trilogy titled "Lucifer's Technology". What is striking at first glance is the cover art; utilizing retro-styled science-fiction and cyberpunk cut-and-paste techniques, various designs from old-school 3D grids to amoeba-like squiggles are abroad. Center stage in this image is a separated-in-half model without any legs, hooked to an oversized VR-machine that's likely allowing this being access to the net. Well done, and I kind of wish this was on a tank top so I could wear it around town. 

The first song on the album is titled 'Liminal Division' and serves up a slice of otherworldly Hell. Percussion knocks four times in a row as if something is banging on a door, begging to be let in. Underneath it are swaying synths and creepy and moody swirling lines. This build-up continues into the one-minute mark where the drums quiet down and a ramping bassline is kicked into gear. It's not until the three-minute and forty-five second mark where Surgeryhead opens up this little portal of electro-damnation for the world to endure. Glitchy electronics and experimental sounds are abroad. 

Following 'Liminal Division' I was led straight into 'Lucifer's Technology' which is an amalgamation of drum'n'bass, electrometal, and general dancefloor debauchery. However, at the four minute mark, the track quiets down and I was led down a path of murky, cinematic electronics and noise till the final moment. The mix continued into 'Persistent Artificial Memory'. To be blunt, I can not listen to this track any longer. It begins off with a repetitious and obnoxious beat that's practically stuck on repeat for the duration of the song. While it does quiet down and smooth electro is allowed to takeover, the fact that it still maintains a presence throughout the entirety of the song made me despise the entire track. 

Nonetheless, following that I was led right into 'REDQUEEN' and 'Heartbleed', which are two absolute stompers. While 'REDQUEEN' leans right into dirty electro dancefloor territory, 'Heartbleed' lends its soul to cybernetic influenced EBM cracks. I was also genuinely shocked to hear some vocal work come to life from Surgeryhead on this song. It's rough, raw, and guttural; in other words, it fits perfectly on the track and album. 'Black Glass Catacomb' can best be described as an ambient, techno, and industrial mix-up. It utilizes analog-computer like sounds straight out of a sci-fi movie to set up a disturbing atmosphere. The final stretch of the song uses hard feedback that blew me out of my seat. 

'Gender Vendor' is a wonderful venture into darksynth territory. It pulls aggressive but smooth synth-work with dance melodies intertwined for a futuristic dance track. The wickedness found on 'Blood Punch' has brighter electronic lines as well as grimy and crunchy industrial metal guitar work. I'm assuming that the raw energy and goblin-like vocals on 'Citystench' are attributed to black metal, but I really couldn't enjoy this too much. The final track on the album features throat singing and serves as another ambient, techno, and industrial track. I loved the subtleties the track offered; it sounds as if the song is both coming through my headphones but also through my floorboards. 

Surgeryhead's "Lucifer's Technology" is a downright filthy release through and through. It is not a light and bright album within the industrial, electro, ambient, or darksynth scene. It is full of crunchy electronics, unsettling and eerie ambient sounds, grimy guitars, and crushing synths. Though I couldn't stand 'Persistent Artificial Memory' and I was none too huge on 'Citystench', that does not have me walking away from this album. Instead, I'm attracted to it. I keep wanting to come back to it over and over to experience the eight songs that I did enjoy as they are nearly flawless. The multiple structures found within each of them leave me guessing what's going to happen next even though I've spun this record four or five times already. My only other wish is that Surgeryhead will release this album in physical format sometime soon because I would love to have this on cassette, Vinyl, or CD. Eight out of ten. Wonderful. 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
Mar 22 2021