Published by Davide Pappalardo on June 15, 2018
In the world of electro-industrial, and even elsewhere, the name Rhys Fulber is legend. The Canadian musician and producer started his career at the end of the eighties, thanks to his participation on Total War and The Initial Command by Front Line Assembly. It was just the beginning of a conspicuous curriculum made of both successful and obscure projects: Delerium (with Bill Leeb, the famous singer of the aforementioned Canadian cult band FLA) attained even “commercial” success I the mainstream world, while Will (with fellow artist Chris Peterson, another FLA’s member) explored the mixing of medieval and neo-classical music with industrial elements, and Fauxliage was an extension of Delerium with more of a pop twist. During the 90’s things went even further, he founded with Bill Leeb another ambient act called Synæsthesia, and he started producing bands like Fear Factory (a key name in the popularization of the so called industrial metal sound) and the Canadian industrial-rock project Econoline Crush. All of this prompts his new career has a producer, and by the years he worked even with mainstream names like Mötley Crüe and Avril Lavigne. But his heart never left the world of electro-industrial, and he briefly rejoined FLA in 2003 for their album Artificial Soldier, while keep working with Delerium.
It’s not a surprise that the world of techno-industrial with EBM roots, a world largely influenced by his own work, has captured the interest of the artist. His first solo EP Realism was published last year by Adam X‘s label Sonic Groove, a work displaying his masterful envision of this sound based on engaging and obsessive rhythms and futuristic, evocative and sometime dark atmospheres. Now he perfects this new sound with his first proper album, published by the same label and called Your Dystopia, My Utopia; here you will find a nine-track vinyl in which many elements of his long career return, filtered by his skills in building worlds made of sound and rhythm, and by the production of Eric Van Wonterghem (Monolith, Insekt, Absolute Body Control) and the help of Jeff Swearengin (//TENSE//, Sleep Clinic) in three tracks of the album. The Canadian artist goes well beyond the simple club entertainment, changing styles and moods while moving between techno, IDM, dark ambient, industrial, EBM, and much more.
Cognitivia is the perfect way to start this work: a cinematic intro with manipulated vocals and subtle ambiances is soon conquered by a slow but grinding rhythm, made of enthralling distortions and bass sounds. The mantra evolves into a hypnotizing experience with evocative lines and orchestral crescendos. Limited vision is a dark techno affair made of pounding beats and eerie sounds, an elegant track in which skillfully placed minimal rhythms and bass-lines evoke a dreadful world of the future, while Creosote is very close to the EBM/techno-industrial sound of many aufnahme+wiedergabe projects (but of course, this is due to the fact their militant sound is directly inspired by FLA’s electro-industrial structures) thanks to fat bass-lines, industrial effects and looping drum-kicks.
Truncheon is a bouncing club number with thundering bass sounds and frantic drums, a mix of crunchiness and precise rhythm structures sculpted by Fulber’s ability in making vivid soundscapes full of grooves and evolving movements, and by Swearengin’s intense sound-design. Fascinating crescendos and steady beats complete the track, promising and delivering a sonic experience for rivetheads. My church sees the narration of Marc Heal of Cubanate‘s fame, and during its intro it displays almost Gothic undertones recalling Will via bells sound and majestic keys. But then, it becomes an IDM/techno affair with modern sounds and eerie atmospheres. Here Fulber shows he is keen to revisit his older sound with a new focus, perfectly balancing syncopated rhythms and organ sounds. Heal’s voice is featured only in few parts of the track, but it effectively complete the scene thanks to its calm and yet intense performance.
Your Dystopia, My Utopia is way more than just another techno-industrial album, here Fulber shows us he is not just a great producer and sound designer, but a phenomenal composer too, capable of working on his own project. Inspired but never chained to his past, he presents us a sound in which old elements and the roots of technoid industrial music meet EBM and evocative ambient soundscapes, while looking to the present and the future. The resulting album is at par with masters like Adam X and Ancient Methods, keeping all the best elements of the genre touched by his music and giving them a new life. Simply put: this is a must-have for any lover of electronic music with an edge and intelligent songwriting, for sure a pinnacle in the current techno-industrial scene. Don’t miss it.
Label: Sonic Groove
Rating: 9