Genre/Influences: Dark-technoid, d’n’b, EBM.

Background/Info: “Your Insanity” resulted from the common efforts between Belgian techno-body producer Ethan Fawkes, French singer of The Chemical Sweet Kid aka Julien Kidam and Dreadfool (Dreadfool is an ex-member of Anamorphosis and now singer of Nihiliste). This EP has been released on a small Belgian Netlabel and features the title song plus 4 remixes.

Content: The title song sounds like the perfect offspring between the technoid sound and EBM driven sound of Ethan Fawkes at one side plus the typical vocals of Julien Kidam at the other side. The song has been sung in English and French language (by Dreadfool) accentuating the schizophrenic aspect of “Your Insanity”.

Just like all Ethan Fawkes releases the remixes have been accomplished by less familiar names like For Greater Good, Iñaki Kreator, Azlack and Owen The Saint. The remixes cover the main ingredients of the original version while each artist is adding his own touch and input. This is an opportunity to rediscover “Your Insanity” in a guitar driven version or more into EBM and even into d’n’b influences.

+ + + : Ethan Fawkes clearly likes to work with other artists and each time again he’ll take me by surprise. I didn’t really expect to see him compose a song with Julien Kidam, but the least I can say is that it sounds like an interesting challenge. This song makes sense while I especially want to recommend the EBM remix of the Argentine EBM-project Azlack and the technoid remix of Iñaki Kreator with some extra powerful guitar riffs on top. It totally matches with the harsh vocal parts.

– – – : Ethan Fawkes clearly prefers releasing EP’s around one title song with remixes instead of achieving a new full length album. I think it would be interesting to hear more songs (like on an album) on one and the same release instead of tons of remixes, but that’s just a personal point of view.

Conclusion: “Your Insanity” is a rather unexpected release for the fusion between different artists who aren’t really dealing with the same kind of music, but when ‘music’ remains the same denominator everything is possible and magic might occur.

Best songs: “Your Insanity”, “Your Insanity – Iñaki Kreator Remix”, “Your Insanity – Azlack Remix”.

Rate: (7).

Bands: www.ethanfawkes.com / www.facebook.com/ethan.fawkes / www.facebook.com/julien.csk / www.facebook.com/nihilistebelgium

Label: www.tailwhiprecords.com / www.facebook.com/TailwhipRecords

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Industrial-electro-rock.

Content: Chemical Sweet Kid strikes back after a hiatus of 3 years. Mastermind Julien Kidam took the time to explore new musical ideas, which is an element that you’ll immediately notice during the listening.

I’m not saying that Chemical Sweet Kid reinvented its initial sound, but you clearly perceive an evolution from the debut album “Tears Of Pain” (which was more electro-minded) to “Broken Wings” (which clearly revealed a more explicit industrial-rock approach) to the new work.

The French band is mixing influences like it all is a simple game, but it’s not that easy to find a coherence between electronics and guitar covering multiple genres like dark-electro, industrial, rock and even punk.

Julien Kidam always took care for the artistic aspect, which comes through in the global image of the band and the illustration of the artwork, but it also is an element that you clearly will recognize in the writing of this work. The songs are perfectly accomplished by great arrangements joining the harder guitar playing. I sometimes get the impression that the dark and disturbing universe –which comes through in the lyrical aspect, has been enlightened by a subtle and global production process.

It’s quite confusing when you consider that punk- and industrial elements became refined and threatened by some artistic elegance. “The Speed Of Time” has been announced as the most accomplished work of the band, which is a statement I totally agree with, but more than this I think it also is the most intimate work of the band ever.

I get the impression that this release is hiding a kind of conceptual theme, which makes me think of sci-fi and horror themes, maybe leading me to the world of Lovecraft or King. “Precious Time” is one of the songs evoking this imaginary ‘haunted house’ impression, but musically it also is a successful mix between punk-rock and EBM-minded electronics. The refined element comes through on “The Next Chapter” featuring delicious violin-like electro arrangements on top of a hard driven punk-rock song.

If there’s just one regret I can say about this work, it for sure will be the absence of a real hit song, which always gives an extra dimension to an album.

Conclusion: What I like in this band and this new work is the personal approach in sound and writing. Chemical Sweet Kid doesn’t really belong to an established music genre, but simply covers different influences to create a strange, but exciting sonic alien.

Best songs: “Precious Time”, “The Next Chapter”, “No Emotion”.

Rate: (DP:7)DP.

Band: www.chemicalsweetkid.com / www.facebook.com/chemicalsweetkid

Label: www.dansemacabre-group.de / http://de-de.facebook.com/pages/Danse-Macabre-Records/161032440594773

Inferno Sound Diaries

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.

www.side-line.com