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Album Review: THIRD REALM - Escape Sequence


Occasionally an album will impress me in a vast array of ways that I could not have possibly imagined before listening.

THIRD REALM have done precisely that with Escape Sequence. This is a deep dive in to the soul of the listener brought about through the expression of soul from the band, and THAT is what makes for some DAMN good music!



With Escape Sequence, Third Realm returns with a fearless new statement of intent: an unforgiving collision of romantic futurepop and bluntly honest, aggressive industrial music. Dark, emotional, and unapologetically unrestrained, the album refuses to be boxed in by genre expectations. Instead, Escape Sequence pushes forward on its own terms, fusing melody and menace into something both seductive and confrontational.


This is not an album built to conform. It is built to break free. At its core, Escape Sequence is about rejecting limitations; artistic, personal, and cultural. Third Realm continues to carve a path that belongs to no one else, creating music without compromise and without asking permission. Every track stands as proof that authenticity hits harder than trend-chasing, and that real expression can be both beautiful and brutal.

Nathan Reiner, Rob Early, and Luke Vinland Swav Jusis Photography

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Review



My first thought is 'mmmmm yes, EBM GOODNESS'.

'Sexwave Obscura' very much has a lot of the old school EBM depth and grit to it, and yet makes it clear that this is a modern version - Cleaner synths, much clearer aggro vocals, and some sharp cut notes presenting a damn fine stompy opening to the album. This track is full of energy and I know if I was to DJ a kink club like Antichrist, this track would immediately be in my playlist for it. It's dark, erotic, and packed with pent up energy.


'Drain Me (Under the Blood Tree)' Swings in a much different direction with a slow and melodic future pop melancholy.

The beat that kick in adds a good amount of edge and energy, and again kicks in a second time with more layers and complexity that blend well together to create a sci-fi kind of romance vibe that -after the intensity of the first track makes THIRD REALM seem to confidently say.. 'We can do both' The synths and sounds used to start up 'Twist The Knife' hit nice and deep in the soul, they seem to cast an atmosphere of deep importance to lay the way for Nathan's smooth vocals.

My body and soul resonated with this track straight away.. This has it all, a touch of trance, of futurepop, romance, heartbreak, and yet enough EDM to make it a chill but deeply enjoyable listen.

My Love.. Twist the knife, it makes me feel like I'm alive..

'By My Side' is a bit more thumpy with it's pop edge, more in line with the likes of Apoptygma Berzerk; It has that trance undercurrent to it, and yet the synths and vocals have that futuristic intensity and passion aspect.

The female vocals in this track also make it a deeply, deeply beautiful duet. It's the kind of track that is the perfect backdrop to a cyberpunk romance.


A bit more aggressive and heavier now with 'Damage Has Been Done' and yet it keeps that same melodic smoothness throughout. At 2:40 the dance vibe kicks up a notch and sends shivers up the spine, this is a 2am dance track.. Am I tired? Yes.. Can I still sway to this music? You're damn right I can. It's like a breath of fresh air, kicking up the intensity once more at the end to remind you that you can keep going, especially with the poignant lyrics that speak of moving on from previous problems.


'Leech Parasite' hits you with aggrotech-ish vocals and an audio assault of sounds akin to a battlefield straight out of the Terminator films; Samples like weapons discharge, drums like explosions, vocals like shouted orders, screams like the fighting and dying, this track is EBM and industrial in a pure form.. Chaos, Noise, Power, and it doesn't let up at all!


'Compliance Pulls the Trigger' follows that same path of aggression and heaviness, instantly reminding me of early 3TEETH, especially with the guitar riff and vocal distortions.

Not only that, the title alone makes you realise there's a strong political message to this and it's a powerful, poignant, and damn fun punch to the face of a track.


A chillout vibe rounds off the main tracks of the album with 'Rockets'. This is a track reminiscent of experimental electro duets of the 80s with its retro approach and broad and spacious echo and reverb especially in the way the keyboard notes distort. A fitting 'after-care' of a track after an album of multiple intense experiences. The 11Grams remix of 'Damage Has Been Done' is glorious!

It sounds like it's being sung by a broken Android, the synths sound harsher yet more powerful, the overall aspect is that of intense destruction and sadness in equal ferocity. It's a fantastic amalgamation of sound that I seem to be failing at describing! Finally the Darkwave Mix of 'Damage Has Been Done' takes us down a strange, twisted trad Goth path of dysphoria and loss. It feels like chasing the White Rabbit through a cavern of madness and twisted memory. The string section at the end rounds of this Victorian-esque sensation whilst the guitar riffs keep you grounded somewhat in the present, an elaborate and ever so Gothic offering.


Conclusion


To describe Escape Sequence by THIRD REALM is a near pointless task as the album contains such a vast array of the umbrella which we call industrial that one stares far too hard at the beauty of the umbrella and the rain in equal measure, content to remain soaked in the experience of the music raining upon the listener.


This is an album of the senses, of memory, of emotion, and that is the most personable of experiences that one man or woman may describe in vast contrast to another.

All of that is to say.. It's bloody good! What is Goth? What is Industrial? What is futurepop? Rather one should ask, what is it to be Human? And in asking that question THRID REALM have done a remarkable job of presenting something that feels unique and new whilst remaining familiar and gives voice in some way to the experience that is the human condition through masterful sound.

Thank you!


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