Electronic Saviours Industrial Music To Cure Cancer Vol2: Recurrence.
In case you’re out of the loop, Electronic Saviors is a series of compilation albums sold to fund cancer research. The latest release, Electronic Saviors Vol. 2, is an appropriate and moving addition to the series. Metropolis Records hasn’t released the full eight disc collection for review yet, but the sampler spans tracks from every disc. The first volume was about contracting, living with, and battling cancer. This volume, entitled Recurrence, is a similar story in which each disc represents a step in the healing process. Each disc is packed with exclusive, new and rare tracks from 18 different artists per disc with each disc embodying a different aspect of dealing with cancer. The discs featured are:
Disc 1: Shock
Disc 2: Denial
Disc 3: Anger
Disc 4: Bargaining
Disc 5: Depression
Disc 6: Acceptance
Disc 7: Testing (digital/premium editions only)
Disc 8: Reconstruction (digital/premium editions only)
The biggest complaint about this album is that it lacks the darkness we all look for in industrial electro and focuses mostly on futurepop, but how dark do we really want an album about cancer to be? Anger (disc 3) packs plenty of darkness, boasting tracks from Aesthetic Perfection, Die Sektor, Ad Inferna, and System Syn.
Imperative Reaction’s take on System Syn’s ‘Goddamn’ should be particularly interesting. The rest of the release is grippingly tragic and morose throughout, but ultimately finds a way to be uplifting. A few of the tracks sound a bit forced, such as Ayria’s ‘Blue Alice (Jims of the Flesh Mix),’ and they would’ve been much better off just making a new track. Most of the tracks, however, such as 16Volt’s ‘Burn (Father Dub),’ give new meaning to the original and remain even more memorable than the original. ‘Monster (v2)’ by 23rainydays and ‘Ghosts (Swank Version)’ by Alter Der Ruine are poppy, upbeat, even danceable, but are still appropriately haunting, as if the track is forcing optimism through a pained grimace. Project Pitchfork and Ashbury Heights craft masterful ballads as expected with tracks made specifically for this compilation.
This volume isn’t all sorrow and solitude, however, and once again features The Gothsicles and Santa Hates You and their signature freakish oddball industrial. This release as a whole does lean toward lamenting, grief-ridden futurepop, but still does a good job covering most of the Industrial spectrum. I could go on and on listing the bands and tracks featured on this compilation (Hocico, Blutengel, iVardensphere…), but check them out for yourself.
I hate to leave this review on a sappy note, but the compilation really does allow empathy with cancer patients while raising money and providing great, exclusive music from the best bands on the Industrial scene. Even if don’t care about cancer at all (you heartless bastard), this compilation offers enough solid music to be worth your time.
Electronic Saviours Vol. 2 is due for release May 8th via Metropolis Records and the official Electronic Saviours webstore.
