Monstrum Sepsis – Destroying To Rebuild (Album – Monstrum Media)
Genre/Influences: Industrial-Ambient, Industrial.
Format: Digital.
Background/Info: “Destroying To Rebuild” is the first new opus in years by the American duo Monstrum Sepsis. Set up in 1996 by Paul Karlik and Rob Wentz, they released numerous works during the 90s and 00s.
Content: “Destroying To Rebuild” is a way to rediscover this band, but also a new chapter in the band’s history. This work is clearly inspired by Electro-Ambient compositions. It’s a dark opus, but mainly accomplished with harsh, Industrial sound treatments. The album is an instrumental composition. The last tracks are somewhat more elaborated.
+ + + : The Industrial element is pretty essential in the duo’s creation. It creates an interesting mix between Ambient and Industrial music. I prefer the last tracks, which sound more mature revealing subtle sound treatments and even an Electronic tune for the last track.
– – – : Most of the tracks are pretty rudimentary and sounding a bit unaccomplished. A few vocal lines could have been a bonus.
Conclusion: I like the global approach of this album, but most of the songs sound a bit unachieved.
Best songs: “Harsh Treatment”, “Guarded Condition”.
Rate: 6.
Artist & Label: www.monstrumsepsis.com / www.facebook.com/Monstrum-Sepsis-154546734649480
About Monstrum Sepsis
Monstrum Sepsis is the electronic duo of Paul Karlik and Rob Wentz, who met in 1996 during their first weeks at the Chicago campus of the Illinois Institute of Art, where both studied multimedia and computer animation. According to the Discogs profile both used computer tracker programs to sequence industrial and EBM-influenced material. Wentz was classically trained on piano.
The self-released CDr “ProTrackers” (1996) opened a run of early releases that includes “Teratism” (1997), “Direct Method” (1998), “Neophite” and “Inception” (1999), the “Primordial Notion” series (2001) and “Deep Sea Creatures” (2002). An untitled album followed in 2003 on Asche Productions, Torture Music Records and Nillacat, and WTII Records issued “Doors & Windows” (2004), “Movement” (2005) and “Artifacts” (2008) on CD. On its own Monstrum Media imprint the duo released “Primordial Notions: Gamma” and “Delta” (2009), “28 Days” (2010), “Tangent” (2011) and “From Concept To Final” (2012).
“Destroying To Rebuild” was released digitally on 3 April 2021 on Monstrum Media. The eight instrumental tracks are “First Stone”, “Warzone”, “Offworld”, “Sire Call”, “Sidetracked”, “Hellion”, “Guarded Condition” and “Harsh Treatment”. Wentz and Karlik made the music; Dave Clay and Wentz the visuals. This review is the only Side-Line item on Monstrum Sepsis to date.
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