Eclipsed – Holyiens (Album – Electrofrequent)
Genre/Influences: EBM.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Eclipsed has already been active for several years and have previously released an album on Vendetta Music (2008) and another one on Aliens Productions (2018). The project is collaboration between Last Influence Of Brain (still involved with Samhain) and Kneel In Front Of The Executioner. “Holyiens” was released by Electrofrequent. The four (!) members also invited Don Gordon (Numb) who’s featured on the first song.
Content: The first song featuring Don Gordon is an overwhelming piece of music, which has something Industrial-like and still a bit epic. I can’t say it’s an intro, but it clearly sounds different from the other songs, which are definitely driven by the ghost of Frontline Assembly. The songs are sophisticated, elaborated and mainly instrumental edits although featuring spoken samplings. There are a few passages with vocals, but it clearly isn’t the main focus of the band. One of the most noticeable cuts (cf. “Infinite Slavery”) reveals an intelligent approach, which is more into a fusion of EBM and IDM, appearing the imaginary hybrid between FLA and Clock DVA. Last, but not least the work also features a surprising cover version of Gaping Chasm.
+ + + : This album is just great, featuring a few outstanding pieces. I especially recommend listening to “Infinite Slavery”, which is a sonic diamond. “Anal Probe Installation” is another is another great piece of music mixing power and intelligence. “Apollo Space Program” sounds like it was touched by the hand of FLA and is just another attention grabber driven by a solid, deep resonating bass line. The cover version of Gaping Chams’s “Angels” is also worthy of examination while the last track –being one of the single cuts with vocals, is a cool song. The great, analogue sound treatments inject some magic to this opus, which stands for high tech sound production.
– – – : Even if I’m not missing vocals on this work, a few more vocals would be a true bonus.
Conclusion: If you don’t know Eclipsed, I can only but highly recommend this formation to you, “Holyiens” is a great piece of space-inspired EBM!
Best songs: “Infinite Slavery”, “Anal Probe Installation”, “Angels”, “Holyiens”, “Cursed Sharpened Needles”.
Rate: 9.
Artist: www.facebook.com/solobobblazenakhead
Label: www.electrofrequent.com / www.facebook.com/Electrofrequent-102179464888936
About Eclipsed
Eclipsed is a Slovak project that Discogs describes as an analogue electronics side project drawing on members of Kneel In Front Of The Executioner and of Last Influence Of Brain and Samhain. The four musicians are credited on Discogs as Solo, Bob, Blazena and k-head.
Kneel In Front Of The Executioner, abbreviated K.I.F.O.T.H., started in Trnava in the spring of 1993. Last Influence Of Brain is an EBM band from Hlohovec, and Samhain was set up in 1996 by Solo, Blazen and Peter Blazko. Side-Line published a Click Interview with K.I.F.O.T.H. in May 2017.
Under the Eclipsed name the group issued “Clone Me” through Vendetta Music in 2008 and “The Probabilistic Mind” in 2018. “Holyiens” followed on 1 June 2021 as an eleven-track CDr on Electrofrequent, mixed by Bob, mastered by Mikuláš Bernáth, with paint art by SÁRA and cover and design by Vlado Filipko.
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