Virtual Cage - Midnight Crashtest

This is the debut full length release by Italian Industrial metal/EBM act 'Virtual Cage' who previously released a 5 track EP titled 'Electro Gangster' - how ever none of the tracks from this previous release are featured on Midnight Crashtest, so the album features 10 new original tracks and 1 cover.

The album begins with the track "N°1 Can Be Us" which starts with silence, and slowly arpeggiated synths and programmed drums start to kick in to the mix, setting the scene to some extent, then out of no where you get an ear full of crunchy guitar and stomping beats- jagged and 'cutting through the mix' synths which makes the album an adrenaline rush from the start.

Even after the first track we move on to the cyberpunk influenced "Digital Troop" featuring none other than dope stars inc. frontman Victor Love -which not just vocally but musically makes the track sound like it's by Dope Stars Inc but still has the sense that it's a stand alone track and not some cheap imitation of a already known band in the ever growing Italian industrial metal scene.

This track really does help people get into the album and the band and I'm sure will attract fans of Dope Stars Inc. and Latexxx Teens in the quest to find new bands of this style.

Now, as said previously, this album has a real pace to it and gives very little time to breathe due to the pace that flows constantly through out the album but the 3rd track titled "Careless Instinct" finally gives the breathing space a listener needs after having the previous couple of tracks kickingoff with a boom from the start to finish, and is a much lighter mid tempo track that helps to break up the intensity, heaviness and stomping back beats that carry on through out this album with other tracks like "Lets Pay", "Dangerous Race" and album closer "Play Your Card".

As mentioned earlier, there is a cover song which is a fantastic cover/tribute of "Jesus Antichristus" originally by :Wumpscut: and to me this is a highlight or even the highlight - if it wasn't for it being listed in brackets as a: Wumpscut: tribute I would of thought it was there own song they really have made it there own and that's what makes it a great cover and a highlight on this album and a real surprise to the usual 'lets cover ministry' approach that seems to be popular among industrial metal bands.

I'm going to give this album 10/10 it really is a great debut album and they're a very promising band that I will be keeping a close tab on.

They have really given me some anticipation towards future releases and have really given a breath of fresh air to industrial metal with aggressive shouted vocals but an even balance of melodic and harmonic sounds in the music itself, to set itself apart from the many ministry and fear factory clones that seem to pop up once in a while. Mar 02 2012