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Xyla - Esoterica (Shaman Films Media - 2007)
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Morus
Started Topics :
8
Posts :
316
Posted : Jun 7, 2007 16:51
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01. INCEPTION
The whole trip begins with a combination of some atmospheric pads, electric shock synthetized sounds, a deep bassline and half-timed distorted kicks, cooking a nice long and hypnotic intro, managing to a calm and promising kickstart, that brings the elements up to the surface slowly, one by one, making the way to a completely experimental mood, keeping the electric and mechanical hi-tech synthlines until the end, when the downbeat rhythm comes over again to put an end to one of the most incredible hardcore trips ever seen on trance music. Wait and see for yourselves.
02. MAGICAL THINKING
It's the time to melancholic and deep pads take control of the mood, combined with heavy drums and a smooth reverbered piano, all combined to build up a very deep and atmospheric mood, which introduces, right on time, a fullon oldschool goa style synth lead that among other monophonic and hi-tech noises and samples, bring a small demonstration of what the whole album is about. Pure hardcore! Reminds me the old times of Xenomorph, a kind of music feeling that hasn't been explored very often at all, i can asure.
03. HUNGER
Hard fucking core straight upon your face! Hold your breath, the track starts with a gabba-styled mega-distorted kick, openning up to again those synthetic electric crunchy restless leads, together with very nicely built drums, creative snare/cymbals combination, this girl knows how to handle the drums, which appear in the main layer, shouting alone in some part in the middle of the track, leaving on a pure demonstration of a detroit hardtechno influence. The machine-like synth that comes in the end is the mercy shot blasting the heads of those who were still holding their breaths so far. Don't ask me "how come?" but this track somehow makes me think of some kind of a... medieval times forest trip! It's a very hard task to describe with words what message those sounds bring, unless you go and hear it yourselves! Breath-taking!
04. Abomination
Distortion. Again and again. The kick drums come like giant hammers to smash all the remaining hopes that one could keep so far of hearing something smooth around here. Prepare yourselves to witness experimentalism to its highest core! No formulas attached here, this is definitely different of everything seen, heard and felt around lately. Sounds like an electronic clothing to ghotik hardcore metal music, with a unique style. Pads, atmospheres, layers, distorted drums and bass, restless hihats, smashing snares, all again drawing a story of a wicked musical experience through the dimension of experimentalism.
05. ESTRANGED SOULS
A female vocal sample starts the fifth track, which, running together with the leads melodies, bring a new session of hard distorted kickdrums, beginning a new hunt. After a while, comes up the combination effect from bass with the synthlead: TENSION, that's suddenly broken up by the smoothness pads atmosphere and the vocal from the beginning. That kind of articulation demonstrates the active-passive, action-reaction, hunter-hunted instincts. The atmosphere resulted from this track is unbelievable, a blend of gothik, industrial and trance music. High-tensioned and powerfull.
06. AGE OF TEMPLES
First of all... This is HARSH stuff! Are you still there?? This is one of the heaviest tracks of the whole album, highly influenced by Harsh EBM/Aggrotech. That feature is fully perceptible in the strong leads melodies, in the broken structure of the kickdrums, the "snack, crackle and pop" bass, the dirty reverbered snares. The paralel elements are of a high frequency and appear practically all over the track, recalling to something dense, thick, deep, full of energy, which is around us, chasing our minds. It is worth to mention the use of a guitar simulator, which can be a very useful artifact in the right hands. Finally, this track shows us that the possibilities of mixing styles can be taken a lot more above and beyond of what we could once imagine.
07. SPIRITUAL IMMORTALITY
IF you feel the last one was heavy, this one is not just heavy but also a lot introspective. Once again the elements throw us into EBM, which is useless to mention again, seen that this is the biggest influence of Xyla in this album. The hypnotizing leads follow the synthetizer, which drives us to the so far unknown subconsciousness, pushing it to something of a "trip to our inner side" sensation that is completed by the cold pad atmos... what could maybe explain the song title. The neverending search for the self-awareness.
08. SOCIOPATHIC DISPORT
The synth melody and the obscure pads atmos bring to life the eighth track of the album. In the first minutes of this track, I've felt a kind of nostalgia... maybe because of the melancholic melody that soon joins other synthleads, applying more life and emotion to something mechanical, industrial. I really liked the combination between the pads and synthlines. The pads for their drama, emotion and atmosphere and the synthlines for their agressiveness and expression. Ps.: Ah, how i love those snares!
09. THE GOD WITHIN (WITH MICHELLE BELANGER)
That vocal line is really great! 
This track's main melody of synth and atmos reminds me oldschool EBM a lot, which is really great, of course. From all the tracks, this has been the one who left the biggest impression of mysticism and esoterism. From the middle of the track on, there comes the distorted vocal, sounding like a medieval times old witch words. Excelent!! This is the best track in my opinion! Beautiful atmos, story, technique, and after all, the low bpm has been a big influence upon this hard decision of mine! Hehehehe.
Overviewing:
All in all, this album is for me the best of this year so far. It's the most innovative music in the present scene and the one which has most deeply touched me, maybe because of my full admiration for EBM. The blend of trance with EBM was a path opened by Xenomorph when he had just started up his productions and, I can tell that this album is, nowadays, completely ahead and beyond (avant-garde) of what I've heard around lately. Congratulations to Xyla and to Shaman Films Records. I hardly expect to hear more stuff like that soon!!
(Cloves - Dead Tree Productions)
Well, my headline for this album is: WARNING: NOT FOR SUNSHINERS! Strong, hardcore, straight, powerfull, overwhelming and deep stuff for all experimental night music true lovers. This is a must have, a real footprint in the electronic music concept. Its unique style has just brought up, right on time, the old times of e-music, which were practically lost for me. A huge goa, oldschool detroit techno, ebm, hardcore and metal influences in a night psytrance clothing. Congratz to Xyla (this girl has attitude!) and to Shaman Films for this wonderful release.
(DJ Morus - Dead Tree Prod/Vertigo Rec)
Reviewing by DJ Morus (tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4) and Cloves (tracks 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9)
   www.myspace.com/djmorus |
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volvox box 2
Infect Insect
Started Topics :
2
Posts :
235
Posted : Jun 7, 2007 17:03
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Lovely industrial trance balanced as hell, nor too hard nor too soft.
The last track is musicly briliant.
And ofcourse it prooves the album title with its global medieval feeling. |
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Lepton
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
11
Posts :
158
Posted : Jun 7, 2007 17:44
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^
true
very nice album !!!
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kazuku
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
100
Posts :
1123
Posted : Jun 8, 2007 07:19
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Nice review 
Interesting album, dont like all of it but something refreshing for sure
Last track is also my fav....
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the dog of tears
the dog of tears
Started Topics :
9
Posts :
397
Posted : Jun 8, 2007 09:52
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This woman is a vampiric-genius...
Haven't heard the album yet but i can say she left no one standing when i saw her play in mojave... imagine beautiful industrial/ebm melodies being vomited upon by an electric hack saw of bass-kick and drums... but in a psychedelic way
excellent review, really hits the nail on the head- experimental night time music! really proves that most trance isn't "dark" haha.
cemetary... meet dance floor. |
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Perma Fry
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
56
Posts :
2835
Posted : Jun 8, 2007 10:02
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XaMã CirKus aKa. ay-ash
Started Topics :
3
Posts :
843
Posted : Jun 9, 2007 04:28
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Meta-Morphosis
IsraTrance Senior Member
Started Topics :
216
Posts :
4980
Posted : Jun 9, 2007 09:50
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Me didnt like not my kinda music.
“What we need is the development of the Inner Spiritual man, the unique individual, whose treasure is hidden in the symbols of our mythological tradition and in man’s unconscious psych.” - CJ Jung |
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Shaman Films Records
Shaman Films Records
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
349
Posted : Jun 13, 2007 00:27
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Thank You so much for your review morus extremely nice and detailed review..
Definitely an album to always remembered!
Xyla has decided to step down from music making for some time which is unfortunately we will all miss her and hopefully she can still write music along with amanda as xylamanda..
Egnogra
Shaman Films Media
www.kalmekak.com
www.shamanfilms.net
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Coming soon!
SHAMFCD012 Apocalyptic Ritual Compiled by Dark Whisper
SHAMFCD013 Engrams The Trilogy ( double cd )
<BR |
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Fragletrollet
Fragletrollet
Started Topics :
111
Posts :
1748
Posted : Jun 13, 2007 02:19
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Congrats to Xyla with this album. I was amazed at first, and I still am, even tough my final verdict seems to be a little lower than believed in the first place. I love her new ideas, and the nice mixture of goth and hardcore. Even tough, I find the album a bit repetitive, and it misses the psychedelic pinch imo; the leads are way brutal and nice, but the elements in the music are way too "obvoius", I like it when they are more sneaking in and out on you. Also, I find that many of the elements are way too recycled for me, even tough they are good, I am an addict to unforseen originality.
All in all, a good album with nice new elements. Even tough I believe she could have drawn it even further....
7,5/10!
http://www.myspace.com/fragletrollet
http://www.myspace.com/unknowncausesound
http://www.fragletrollet.com/ |
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PsYcH0naUT
Started Topics :
0
Posts :
72
Posted : Jun 14, 2007 17:44
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not my cup of tea, did not like this album
strange, cuz her compilation tracks are not that bad
still could understand if people like this disc |
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Shaman Films Records
Shaman Films Records
Started Topics :
40
Posts :
349
Posted : Jun 15, 2007 06:13
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The biggest problem with people disliking her style is because they try to box her into "Psytrance" which is not at all the case she has her own individual style.
if your vision is broader than just your regular trance music then you cant complain to understand it.
Xyla has more EBM / Industrial influences than trance music so this isnt about if sounds like dark psy or whatever there is you want to box her too..
Egnogra
Shaman Films Media
www.kalmekak.com
www.shamanfilms.net
----------------------------------------
Coming soon!
SHAMFCD012 Apocalyptic Ritual Compiled by Dark Whisper
SHAMFCD013 Engrams The Trilogy ( double cd )
<BR |
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YeTzuR
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
25
Posts :
191
Posted : Nov 1, 2014 19:24
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after all these years, still can't have enough of it.
PERFECT album.
any news about her?
is she planning something new? |
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Khaos Sektor
Khaos Sektor
Started Topics :
90
Posts :
1004
Posted : Nov 18, 2014 15:38
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