Trilogy – Froced Perspective (Digital/CD Album – Electro Aggression Records)
In my opinion, Trilogy is a rather underrated Electro project that emerged a few years ago. Founded and driven by former Trial member Erick Miotke and featuring vocalist Jens Müller (previously active in Human R3source), the German duo returned this year with the double CD “Forced Perspective”.
The main album contains no fewer than eighteen tracks, material the band worked on over the course of several years. As a bonus, listeners are treated to an additional disc featuring the exact same tracklist, but with every song reworked by a different remix artist. The album itself is an extremely elaborate and carefully crafted work in which inevitable Trial influences occasionally resurface, though the atmosphere feels distinctly different and the vocals give the project its own unmistakable character. Trilogy is not a continuation of Trial, but a band with a clear identity of its own. Musically, the influences move somewhere between EBM and Dark-Electro. Certain tracks evoke the atmosphere and precision of Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly, while I can also detect parallels with Yelworc. The compositions sound meticulous and polished down to the smallest detail. Dark string arrangements, refined icy bleeps, and old-school EBM elements merge seamlessly with pounding kicks and harsh vocals.
The extra disc is far more than a simple bonus addition. Not only does it revisit the complete tracklist, but each song is transformed by an impressive roster of remixers. I would especially like to highlight contributions from Sleepwalk, Serpents, Terminal State, AD:Key, Pyrroline, and Mildreda, all of whom deliver outstanding reinterpretations. Other notable appearances include T.A.N.K., Brain Leisure, Digital Factor, and the legendary Project Pitchfork. In some ways, this bonus disc may even surpass the original album thanks to the additional variety and perspectives it offers.
“Forced Perspective” is an absolute tour de force and an essential release for every connoisseur of intelligent Dark-Electro and EBM. (Rating:8½).
Listen to “Combat Surfer”:
https://electroaggressionrecords.bandcamp.com/track/combat-surfer
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.
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