Single review: Biomechanimal X Sentinel Complex - Crown of Glass
Truth be told I've been known to say Biomechanimal are one of the next in line to the pantheon thrones of industrial Godhood. With this unholy alliance with the might Sentinel Complex.. Little did I realise they would be Gods of genre corrupting filth the likes of which men would sell their souls in order to be even half as talented in the ways of electronic genius.
Although they are a force for good and new life which the industry and scene so desperately needs right now, they've also come to collect skulls for the skull throne, once the audio waves have torn them from the shoulders of the baying crowds. This is a duo none of us were prepared for!
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Biomechanimal and Sentinel Complex join forces to bring you Crown of Glass, an intense mashup of sounds and styles, leaving a trail of destroyed genres in their wake. Both acts deliver huge vocal performances and brutal production, pulling from symphonic metal, midtempo, harsh industrial, dubstep, and more. Liberation in Domination!
'Crown of Glass' refers to the ego that we see in ourselves; this fragile symbol of our own strength. The song deals with the negative side of this ego, how it can lead us to view others and ourselves in a distorted way.
On Friday 25th, Biomechanimal, Mechanical Vein and Sentinel Complex will be throwing a release party on Twitch. Expect exclusive new tracks, mashups, and our usual dark electro bangers.
Come join us as we celebrate the release of 'Crown of Glass'.
Starts 9PM UK time.
https://www.twitch.tv/biomechanimal Facebook event page
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Review
"Holy genre bending amalgamations Batman!"
Psytrance, metal, industrial, dubstep, orchestral violins, a choral piece, and retro synths all f**ked in to a cyber orgy. Just.. wow.. On first listen my jaw and that of my partner's had met somewhere between the floor and the fifth dimension.
I often find myself scrunching up my face and loudly verbalising the term 'Oooof!' or 'CRUNCHY' but never before quite so hard as to this song. My only problem with this song being that by the time you reel your jaw back up and try to pay attention to the song, it's already over. This track is a militarised tactic that we all know as shock and awe.
There is an epic introduction of strings and guitar riffs building up the epic drama to the likes of which DOOM slayer would be proud. That intro is thrown in to warp speed with a psytrance tunnel of flurried beats and mind churning bliss. Matt's signature growling brings that Biomechanimal joy that no one else can provide, yet he even twists his voice a little similar to that of Bring me the Horizon for a moment which is unexpected but fits perfectly.
A slower pace takes over to build suspense with an ominous choral section leading to more strings and an ever rising tide of riffs.
A build up to that tidal wave of destruction approaching in the distance that comes crashing down in a mid-tempo and dubstep breakdown enhanced by harsher vocals this time sung by Jamie Everett of Sentinel Complex who has clearly added so many layers of detail and extra firepower to the song.
So with such a powerful and intense track it's hard to know where Bio begin and Sentinel end so to clear this up a little we had Matthew Simpson of Biomechanimal explain some of the process:
So the chorus was written by me first, which kicked the whole thing off. Jamie took that and sketched out a full track with guitars and drums. I reworked the drop, and added choral parts and some further synths; I wrote my vocals then he brought in his verse, and he added some of his own synths and instrumentation, along with the post production. - Matt
This is a cacophony and a half leading to a powerful but all too abrupt end.
The talent of these individuals alone is incredible, as a band they are unstoppable, now smashed up with Sentinel Complex things have turned legendary.
The MORIS BLAK remix is a nastier, grittier, deep dive in to chaos and the 'Immaterium' of horror. If the Chaos Marine on the artwork is any indication of theme ;)
The vocals are twisted in to the likes of 80's monstrosities such as zoanoids being slaughtered in Guyver, or corpses lurching in Hellraiser or The Reanimator. It makes for a powerful effect.
The break beat mixed with ever increasing speed sections creates a real assault on the senses that makes it unbelievable that you're listening to the same track essentially. It is surreal yet unstoppable.
The Dawn of Ashes remix brings a much more 80's or 90's EBM feel to the table, lumbering in it's own power like a mighty titan on the move backed by an emotive and awe inspiring twist on the synthetic strings. Visions of a beautiful horizon slowly drawing in the inevitable destruction. It reminds me of old school machine films like Hardware and The Terminator.
A nice touch is that the band have included an instrumental version of the track too.
Conclusion
This is without a doubt a perfect backing to a vampire fight scene, a gun-fu John Wick feature, a bullet storm in a Judge Dredd movie, or a ship being thrown in to the fiery death of a supernova. Either way Biomechanimal and Sentinel Complex bring across a sense of epic action that no other artists could achieve.
With each release Biomechanimal continue to destroy genre barriers and push the limits of alternative music. No other band can attest to pioneering 'that next great style' with the way they experiment and adapt to a rapidly changing taste of such a fast paced and difficult modern world.
Never before has music been so demanding but never before has a band been so satisfying and masterful at what they do. It is only a matter of time before Biomechanimal and the bands they collaborate with, take the rest of the world by warp storm.
Scores
Technicality: 10 /10 Dance factor: 9.5 /10 Energy: 10 /10 Vocals: 9 /10 Re-playability: 10 /10
Overall score: 9.7 / 10
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