Cabaret Voltaire – Shadow Of Fear (Album – Mute)

Genre/Influences: Electronic, Experimental, Cinematographic, Ambient.

Format: Digital, CD, Vinyl, Cassette.

Background/Info: Cabaret Voltaire is back with the first new studio album since “The Conversation” (1994). Richard H. Kirk remains the single member of the legendary Sheffield (UK) formation. Cabaret Voltaire belongs to the pioneers of Electronic music and remained an influential project throughout the years while Richard H. Kirk focused on other music projects

Content: Cabaret Voltaire’s new opus sounds diversified, mixing good-old sound treatments and arrangements with new ideas. Richard H. Kirk can look back to a serious discography; he experimented with multiple styles and influences and that comes through at this album. The tracklist has been progressively built up from accessible Experimental cuts driven by slow beats towards more danceable cuts, which you can hear in the final part of the work. From Electro-Wave to funky sequences and from Electro-Ambient to Trance passages, this work covers an impressive sonic canvas. The vocals have been replaced by spoken samplings.

+ + + : The nameCabaret Voltaire was directly taken from the legendary place where the artistic movement called ‘Dadaism’ was created. It was a kind of anarchistic arts movement without that much restrictions or rules. And that’s precisely what I experienced listening to “Shadow Of Fear”. Richard H. Kirk is just doing his thing; it remains Cabaret Voltaire for the great effects, fragmented samplings and some of the bass lines, but some songs are also harder and more danceable. “Vasto” is an absolute masterpiece driven by transcendental sequences. It’s the kind of song confirming the genius of Richard H. Kirk who remains a visionary artist. I also have to mention “Universal Energy”, which progressively builds up to a total climax.

– – – : The first part of the album is not as exciting although revealing great sound treatments and impressive effects. This is not a new “The Crackdown” or “Micro-Phonies”, but just a cool album you have to place in the right context; we’re no longer in the 80s, this is 2020!

Conclusion: Speaking for myself I consider Cabaret Voltaire as one of the most creative and visionary Electronic bands in history. This project always has had something unmatched, which is again confirmed with the new work!

Best songs: “Vasto”, “Universal Energy”, “Papa Nine Zero delta United”, “The Power Of Their Knowledge”.

Rate: (8).

Artist: www.facebook.com/CabaretVoltaireOfficial

Label: www.mute.com / www.facebook.com/muterecords

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