Cryogenic Echelon – A Monument To Me (Digital Album – Alfa Matrix)
Before Gerry Hawkins began making music under his sonic alter egos Avarice In Audio, Prozium, and Dream Recall, he was active between 2008 and 2013 as Cryogenic Echelon. This album pays tribute to that period and invites us to listen to no fewer than 37 tracks. It doesn’t seem likely that the project will be revived, but the release serves as a kind of testament.
And what a testament it is. Although the album contains a truckload of remixes created by other artists, the original tracks hit like a sonic bomb. G. Hawkins had been influenced by a track from Grendel, and from that starting point he began shaping his own sonic DNA. The result is highly energetic and powerful—a blend of genres such as Dark-Electro, EBM, Dark-Techno, and even Dance. At times it’s downright stunning, as if you were to throw Suicide Commando into a cement mixer filled with Techno. The vocals are divided between a male voice and a female voice that adds an Eastern atmosphere reminiscent of Ofra Haza.
There are also quite a number of collaborations with artists such as Psykkle, MiXE1, vProjekt, Lucidstatic, Sleepless Droids, and Ascension EX. As for the remixes, you’ll find names like Grendel, Psyclon Nine, Dawn Of Ashes, Freakangel, Modulate, Studio-X, Sirus, Ruinizer, Nitronoise, Biomechanimal, and others. The remix section is a bit much for me, especially since few of the tracks truly stand out, but the rest of the album is more than worth discovering.
All I can say is that it’s a pity Cryogenic Echelon isn’t being revived with new compositions — though you never know… (Rating:8).
Listen to “Fall Of The Reptiles”:
https://alfamatrix.bandcamp.com/track/fall-of-the-reptiles
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