Album Review+Interview: Imperative Reaction - Mirror
It's been ten years since Imperative Reactions' album opened up with the now instantly recognisable track 'Side effect' which I'm sure we have all danced out one hell of a rhythm to more than once on a club dance floor, not to mention how many times we must have danced to 2008's 'Minus All'.
That self titled album was released in the golden hour of industrial where almost every album had at least one dance floor filler that set myself and other fellow cyber-goths off twirling about to the beat. So many bands have left that golden formula in the past and I can't seem to understand why as it was the base of industrial becoming far more prevalent and successful.
I hate to say it but Imperative Reaction seem to have left that style behind as well. That's not a negative reflection upon this new album however, in fact, it's a product of it's time with lower BPM, more complex layering, smoother vocals, and a sprinkle of synthwave with dystopia; Which we have to admit, is the signature sound of this particular time when it comes to Goth electronics.
In this article we write an in depth review of the new album and had the chance to ask Ted Phelps some questions of our own.
Following a near decade long hiatus, the Los Angeles based electro-industrial act Imperative Reaction finally release their long-awaited seventh album. Featuring eleven new songs, ‘Mirror’ was released on 15th January 2021 via Metropolis Records. Band co-founder and sole studio member Ted Phelps states that..
“I’ve never been as happy with an album as I am with this one, and I do think it is the most diverse album we’ve released.”
Imperative Reaction was formed in 1996 by Phelps and David Andrecht from the remains of Digital Neural Assault. Their debut album, 'Eulogy For The Sick Child’, was released in 1999 by Zoth Ommog Records, following which they signed to Metropolis, who issued Ruined’ in 2002, ‘Redemption’ (2004), ‘As We Fall’ (2006), ‘Minus All’ (2008), and a self-titled album in 2011.
Then, silence. In 2016, the band confirmed on their social media channels that