V/A Endzeit Bunkertracks Act VIII (4CD Album + 40 Downloadable Bonus Songs – Alfa Matrix)
Genre/Influences: Dark-electro, EBM, electro-industrial, techno-body, power-noise, IDM.
Background/Info: The first ‘act’ from this now legendary compilation was released in 2005. Fourteen years later Alfa Matrix released the eight edition of this series devoted to dark-electronics. The massive work features 72 songs on 4 discs and 40 extra songs available as download.
Artists: Suicide Commando, Blutengel, Zombie Girl, Funker Vogt, Komor Kommando, [SITD], Angelspit, Noisuf-X, Solitary Experiments, Ad:Key, Acylum, Phillip Münch ao.
Content: It’s impossible to go in detail when you’ve to review such a compilation featuring 112 songs! But “Endzeit Bunkertracks” remains faithful to a mix of music genres dealing with electronics and a fusion between great and established artists plus discoveries. No doubt about it, the some upcoming talents have been featured here. Next to a bunch of Alfa Matrix bands the compilation also features big names from other labels such as Out Of Line, Dark Dimensions, Infacted Recordings, Repo Records ao.
There’re a lot of exclusive cuts features and/or remixes while the best bands aren’t always featured on the discs.
+ + + : A great sampler and a hard copy means so much more than the digital version. The artwork by Japanse artist Tomoki Hayasaka is absolutely great and matching with the concept. Song-wise you’ll discover interesting young talents such as H.O.W., Complex Mind, Eexee, Suppressor, Playngrain, Pax Sono, Nitek, Fabrikmutter and C-Phalea. The diversity of the songs made this ‘sonic orgy’ more accessible then releasing such a box format with only dark-electronic bands.
– – – : Even if this compilation remains a great and successful work, 112 songs is definitely too much so this is a compilation you’ve to listen spread over several days.
Conclusion: It has been my pleasure tipping some ‘unknown’ talents, which have been selected for the compilation while “Endzeit Bunkertracks” remains a sonic bible for all dark electronic souls!
Best bands: Komor Kommando, Implant, Noisuf-X, Electronic Frequency, Funker Vogt, [X]-Rx, Suppressor, Nitek, Ice Ages, Larva.
Rate: (8½).
Label: www.alfa–matrix.com / www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix
About Endzeit Bunkertracks
Endzeit Bunkertracks is a compilation series released by Belgian label Alfa Matrix, devoted to dark electronic music including EBM, electro-industrial, and aggrotech. The first volume, “Act I”, was released on 21 March 2005 as a 4CD box limited to 1,666 copies, divided into four themed sessions titled Evil, Torture, Damage and Death; it reached number 1 on the German Alternative Charts and ranked 14th on that chart’s albums of the year.
Alfa Matrix continued the series with “Act II” in May 2006, “Act III” in November 2007, and “Act IV” in February 2009, each released in the same limited 4CD format. “Act VIII” follows fourteen years after the first volume, with 72 tracks across four discs plus 40 additional download-only songs, featuring artists including Suicide Commando, Blutengel, Zombie Girl, Funker Vogt, Komor Kommando, [SITD], Angelspit, Noisuf-X, Solitary Experiments, Ad:Key, and Acylum.
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