M73 – Tainted (Album – Læbel)
Genre/Influences: EBM.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: M73 is a project set up by Danish composer John R. Mirland. He’s already involved with multiple projects; once started in Holm/Mirland and moved on with Am Tierpark, Negant, Mirland, Mirland/Larsen ao. After a few EP’s releases M73 last year released its debut album inspired by ‘self-destruction, sex and disillusion’.
Content: M73 is John R. Mirland’s solo-project and that’s what makes the difference with his other EBM project Negant. He’s also singing on M73 (which is rather new) while the composition also has something more personal. The EBM songs have something old-styled, which means carried by solid bass lines and supported with melodic string parts. The songs are moving from softer cuts to more powerful ones. The vocals have something ‘natural’, but passionate.
+ + + : Old-school EBM fans will like “Mindbender” –which is the absolute highlight from the album, but also “Polarizer”, “Lowlife” and “Zeroes”. Even if the songs are retro-like, they’re elaborated with great strings on top. Some cuts are polished with pop arrangements, but in the end it all remains pure EBM driven by solid bass lines.
– – – : Some of the softer passages such as “Shadows” and “Clouds” can’t convince me. Let’s say they just inject a few breaks in the tracklist.
Conclusion: I’m not saying M73 is a new EBM sensation, but “Tainted” is a promising and enjoyable debut!
Best songs: “Mindbender”, “Lowlife”, “Nomad”, “Polarizer”, “Zeroes”.
Rate: (7½).
Artist: www.facebook.com/m73official
Label: http://laebel–music.dk / www.facebook.com/laebelmusic
About M73
M73 is the solo project of Danish composer John R. Mirland, also active as Am Tierpark, Negant, Mirland and Mirland/Larsen. “Tainted” is M73’s debut album, released in 2020 on Laebel. Mirland followed it with a second M73 album, “Motor Romantik”, in 2022, also on Laebel.
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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.
