Acylum – XX20XX (Digital Album – Alfa Matrix)
In 2004, Pedro Engel—later joined by his wife Nadine—released his first album. Twenty years later, this milestone is celebrated with the album “XX20XX”, on which the German band—sometimes responsible for quite a bit of controversy—has completely reworked, re-sung, and re-recorded six of its tracks. As a bonus, we also get remixes by Nano Infect, Distoxia, Lucifer’s Aid, The Witch Said No, and Derma-Tek.
What I particularly appreciate is that they even revisited a track from their debut album. Everything remains recognizable, yet you can clearly hear the difference. “Zigeunerjunge” is a fine illustration of this. Whether these new versions are better or not is something everyone must decide for themselves, but Acylum’s style and tormented approach remain fully intact. This project undoubtedly belongs to the darkest, most obscure, and at times uncomfortable bands within this particular genre. It is more than Dark-Electro reinforced with Industrial sounds—it is a true, and extremely powerful, experience in its own right. Everything sounds raw, aggressive, and bleak, further intensified by the production of the vocals, sometimes supported by the sharper vocal delivery of Nadine Engel. As for the remixes, I find Nano Infect’s contribution particularly strong, but for me, Acylum’s own work remains unmatched.
Suicide Commando remains the absolute Master of Dark-Electro, but in my view, Acylum is one of its greatest challengers. (Rating:8).
Listen to “Rape”:
https://alfamatrix.bandcamp.com/track/rape-xx20xx-2
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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