Amorphous – Shapeshifting (CD Album – Wave Records)
Genre/Influences: EBM, dark-body-music.
Background/Info: After the promising debut mini-album “Behaviourism” Brazilian EBM veteran Gil O. Santos is back on track. If the name of this artist doesn’t ring a bell I’m sure you’ll remember his band Morgue. I was eagerly awaiting this debut full length featuring 14 songs.
Content: Amorphous is much more than simply EBM. You can hear a mix between classical EBM influences (like a ‘242’ bass line and typical sequences in the genre), but also a more sophisticated and dark-body approach, which might remind you of other formations. I can’t say that Amorphous reminds me to Morgue although there’s an old-styled flavor hanging over the songs.
The power of the production is not always emerging from the kick or the cadence, but still from heavy, dark and overwhelming atmospheres. This ambiance creates the right match with the spooky vocals.
Notice by the way that the album features a few guest artists (call it features) like Torsykes, N3voa and Morphous Laughing.
+ + + : I especially like the intelligence of the composition. Amorphous composes EBM with style. Some of the atmospheres and icy sound treatments remind me of Mortal Constraint while other songs are driven by bass lines reminding me of Front 242. It’s haunting and danceable, elaborated and accessible, but maybe the most important thing: an album featuring multiple outstanding songs and even potential underground hits. I also like the fact this album didn’t go back to previous songs (from “Behaviourism”) while the new stuff sounds more elaborated.
– – – : The main point for Amorphous probably is ‘how to get airplay and recognition in Europe’!
Conclusion: Nearly 20 years after the last Morgue-album, we’ve a new sensation from Brazil! Time for Amorphous!
Best songs: “Dystopia”, “Stimulus”, “Antisocial”, “Amorphous”, “Unilateral”.
Rate: (8).
Band: www.facebook.com/amorphous.sound
Label: www.waverecordsmusic.com / http://pt–br.facebook.com/pages/Wave–Records/110635789015082
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
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.
