Guilt Trip – Body Parts (DCD Album – EK Product)
Genre/Influences: EBM, dark-electro.
Background/Info: Swedish duo Karl Lindberg – Magnus Nilsson are back on track unleashing their newest creation entitled “Body Parts”. After some releases on the now gone Complete Control Productions, Guilt Trip joined hands with EK Product to unleash the “Brap:tism”-album in 2014. It took them three more years to achieve this new double disc revealing 24 songs.
Content: Guilt Trip belongs to the sophisticated bands dealing with EBM. Most of the influences are reminding me of early Skinny Puppy. It’s a kind of dark, atmospheric and moody EBM where the ‘feeling’ seems to be much more important than power and harshness. Somewhat minimal although refined Guilt Trip took us back to early EBM complexity, which they merged with a very own touch.
The second disc is more diversified, a bit like free-style EBM, but still efficient.
+ + + : I think there are different kinds of EBM, but which can be easily differentiated between hard-core/punk EBM at one side and complex and intelligent EBM at the other side. Guilt Trip are truly ambassadors of the second number of bands, which can be linked to Skinny Puppy, Frontline Assembly and related formations. There’s a real care taken in the sound research, original sound sculptures and overwhelming, moody atmospheres. The work is carried by solid bass lines at one side and polished with subtle, icy bleeps at the other side. The vocal parts are spooky-like, which creates a perfect match with the sound.
The first disc sound compact and according to me the best work I’ve heard from this band. The second disc is more varied, but still revealed the great writing skills of those modern sound architects.
– – – : Complexity is not the most accessible EBM format and sometimes the kind of music you have to listen twice before getting an opinion. This band however deserves much more recognition.
Conclusion: I don’t know that many bands today releasing a double disc with 24 exclusive tracks from a high qualitative level. “Body Parts” is not exactly an original title for a real creative production I can only, but highly recommend.
Best songs: “Chains”, “Time Enough”, “Seething Not Breathing”, “Burn ‘Til Death”, “Don’t Drink Don’t Swallow”.
Rate: (8½).
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