Skren – Chaos (Album – Industrialriot)
Genre/Influences: Techno-Body, Industrial.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: Skren is a German male-female duo which self-released their second album “Chaos”.
Content: Skren stands for danceable music and Electro-Minimalism. The composition is driven by Dark-Techno, Industrial and EBM. I also noticed an Electro-Punk touch while a few breaks are bringing moments of rest. The songs are mixing instrumentals and songs with raw, powerful vocals.
+ + + : Skren is a band I can’t remember having ever heard before and which took me by surprise. The composition is well-crafted, progressive, and built up with powerful, unrefined sound treatments. The Industrial sound treatments and menacing bass lines inject an extra dark touch to the work. There are numerous cool songs, but I want to mention “Staub (Album Version)” which sounds to me as an ‘industrialized version of early Front 242’. This band might appeal for Sonic Groove lovers.
– – – : The very few softer cuts aren’t the best exponent of the album, but I don’t see any reason to complain.
Conclusion: “Chaos” is an intelligent work composed by visionary and talented artists. This work is a true revelation so let’s keep an eye on Skren.
Best songs: “Staub”, “Tunnel”, “Untergang”, “Im Kopf”, “Chaos”.
Rate: 8½.
Artist & Label: www.facebook.com/skrenband
Listen to “Chaos”:
About Skren
Skren is a duo from Düsseldorf made up of the artists working as Bias and Poisa, operating through their own Industrial Riot imprint. Bias handles vocals, lyrics, guitar and drum sounds, along with additional synth programming, sample work and most of the mixing and mastering. Poisa programs the synths, sequences the bass and lead patterns and plays bass on several tracks. Both studied fine art, Bias at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, and the pair started Skren shortly after his graduation.
The duo scrapped a first album attempt, changed their gear and switched the vocals from English to German before releasing the debut “Grell” in 2021. “Chaos” followed on 15 May 2022, written, performed and produced by the pair and recorded at The Uncanny Valley Studio. Its eleven tracks are “Hyperschlaf”, “Tunnel”, “Im Kopf”, “Substanz”, “Existent”, “Sirenen”, “Untergang”, “NMD (Album Version)”, “Chaos (Album Version)”, “Vibra” and “Staub (Album Version)”.
The duo discussed the record with Side-Line in October 2022 in the Click Interview with Skren, where they described their sound as “analog chaos and digital dust”.
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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.
