Customer Reviews

Artificial

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These guy's are some how related to Namnambulu. Possibly a side project. If you have never listened to them, try Blinded! It is superior.

That said, Frozen Plasma is 10 fold better than Blinded and is a must have for electronic music lovers. If you like the harsh stuff, this is not it: look elsewhere. If you want great dance beats, great lyrics and great vocals ....THIS CD IS AMAZING. You will listen to it again and again. To give you some perspective, because I realize how different the music in this genre can be, I gave my freind, some Edge of Dawn, some Seabound and some Neurotic Fish and he blew them all off and sent me 2 emails saying he just had to have Artificial. He is a big fan of DJ Electronic music, Paul Van Dyk, Oakenfold etc. Hope that gives you a better feel for this CD.

Definite treasure.

Emphasis (their other CD) leaves much to be desired.

The other reviewer mentioned a link to Namnambulu and mentioned this as a side project. While it was meant to be that in the beginning, it has actually become the haven for one of the two singers that made up Namnambulu. What does that mean? Well, it means that you (1) get quality beats of the EBM variety (although this leans more into a pure techno feel sometimes and even into a vocal project in others) and (2) you get a voice that is really distinct. Sometimes I am really saddened by the demise of specific bands, and this is one of those things because I really enjoyed the way both bands sounded. It seems rare and rarer still that vocalists are recognized for the talent they bring.

As far as the album, it is a mixture of old and new things and does not really leave Namnambulu behind. It tries to and does some odd things with darker voxing on some tracks, but having a vocalist from a band go somewhere else still doesn't change his voice. This is not meant as a slight in any way, either: when I first heard Namnambulu I immediately recommended their songs because they have what this album has. There is content in the songs as far as wording and as far as meaning, and there is a special something in the way the words are spoken. Few bands can claim that while breathing life into dancefloor backdrops but Frozen Plasma can ( or could - i think this project has been put to sleep as well).

If you enjoy EBM bands, any sort of dancefloor evolution, really solid craftsmanship on the lyrical front, or just a good singer then you might like this. You can always sample songs done by this band and by the aforementioned other, ultimately letting the important critic - you - decide what you do and do not like.
Still, this is a recommended piece that many have accidentally sidestepped.

With members from Namnambulu & Diorama, I guess its not so strange to see how the results would turn out. I'm a big fan of both bands & as sad as I was to see Nanambulu disassemble, Vasi Vallis' mighty synthesizers & programming continues to be a very sturdy driving force behind his current project. And while Felix Marc's vocal range isn't in the same league as Henrik Iversen's deep barratone, Frozen Plasma's lyric's keep enough intelligence & introspection throughout the album to keep things interesting. "Artificial" is a smooth amalgam of EBM & Electropop styles so if you enjoy this sort of music give it a listen. I highly recommend these guys if you like bands such as Conetik, Syrian, or Covenant.