Xetrovoid - The Resistance

Some might look at the cover art of cyberpunk and darksynth project Xetrovoid's latest release "The Resistance" and say, "It's mighty bold of them to copy The Beatles artwork." For myself, however, I feel as if Xetrovoid is doing the world a favor. I've never been a fan of The Beatles and repurposing a classic image in parody format filled with explosives, future-ready battle soldiers, and one track suit is amazing. These figures on the cover make up what I believe is "The Resistance", as that is the title of Xetrovoid's album to which this art belongs to. The cover art, amazing as it is, is paired with eight thematic tracks of gritty sci-fi beats that will take you through a revolution. 

The album begins with the title track 'The Resistance'. The song starts with fast paced electronic notes as a sweeping synth takes over the background, bringing to mind a city with overarching corporate towers while the little people suffer below. This drab mood is conveyed through retro, video game like sounds. It's an introduction to the glorious combat that's about to occur throughout this fictional city. 'Droid Moshpit', then, is a more upbeat, dance-driven track. It features Xetrovoid's friend Hector Marin (The Blackfires) on electronic guitar who has a wicked solo later in the song. The track's frenetic energy matches the title oh-so well. 'Infiltration' does a swell job at presenting a mild song; the beats still jam but there's a heightened sense of suspense. Parts of the song, such as around the one-minute and fifteen second mark, has me visualizing the protagonists on the cover art sneaking through air vents into their enemy's base a la Die Hard. 



'Midnight Memories' is a beautiful track that reminisces a beach shore in the middle of the night. Two lovers, or potential lovers, sitting on top of a towel in the sand letting the crashing waves be the only sound that they hear tonight. It's groovy and brilliant and does a swell job at breaking apart "The Resistance". If 'Midnight Memories' was supposed to be a song that shows a small break after a successful mission for our heroes, 'Merciless Machines' is the antagonist force preparing to fight back. Much more stompy with grit in the synths, this song reminds me of a robotic factory manufacturing its forces. 

'We Were Young' takes a stand next to 'Midnight Memories' as a peaceful and blissful track on the album. This mish-mash of hardened synthetic songs and brighter, cheery pieces takes away some tension from the album but also showcases Xetrovoid's ability to march through different territories with ease. 'Last One Standing' brings us back to the fight with layered synth lines and cinematic presence abound. The final track on the album, 'Mutant Cyborgs', has a quickened pace and a sense of urgency. If this album were to be fit for a video game, this would be the song for the final boss fight. 

What I look for in a cyberpunk or darksynth album that has an unwritten concept is for the songs to inspire that concept within me. I look to make up my own story and put the pieces together through the instrumental storytelling and the title of the songs. Sure, each time I listen to the album in full, the story might deviate a little. But that's what I love so much about it; the creative process does not end when the artist finishes the album. It continues with everyone that listens to the album. And that's exactly what happened with "The Resistance". The brilliant synthetic mastermind Xetrovoid has once again managed to craft a wonderful album with a varied range of electronic might. Seven-and-a-half out of ten! 

This review was commissioned through our Ko-fi page.
May 30 2021