Customer Reviews

Devour, Rise and Take Flight

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

 

 

There aren't a whole lot of artists nowadays whose album releases are seen as a god send. One of those artists is Android Lust who finally releases a follow up to 2002's "The Dividing". "Devour, Rise and Take Flight" picks up where "The Dividing" leaves off but it is a much more aggressive album. The cd begins with the searing "Lover Thine". "Lover Thine" is the most inacessible track on the cd yet it is one of my favorite songs on the cd because it is such a contrast to the closing song "Unrecognize", an acoustic track. It is an aural assault on the ears which might not suit well for casual AL fans or people who have never heard of AL. Thankfully the rest fo the album does not consist of songs as abrasive as "Lover Thine", nevertheless the songs are harder edged and brutal than "The Dividing". I like how Shikhee's vocals changes from a seductive whisper to a ferocious growl through out the 50 minute cd. The music may be a brutal assualt on the ears but there still is a sense of a melody in the songs. I don't like to use the word "brilliant" to describe an artist but what Android Lust does here is brilliant. Shikhee continues to push the boundaries of electronic music, challenging the listener with the twists and turns to create music that is eerily cathartic that is layered with abrasive computerized samples. What really stood out for me was the closing song "Unrecognize". I was totally thrown off by the stripped down, acoustic sound of the song. It was the very complete opposite of the noise infested sounds of "Love Thine". I loved it. It was the yang to the yin of the opening track. "Devour, Rise and Take Flight" was well worth the four year wait. It did not disappoint this fan.

Xxon Mill's REVIEW at igloomag.com ::
(02.10.06) In this forbidden land of blips, metal sounds and splintered beats, we move through the dark-lands, carrion calling, for some new frequencies, something to implode in the distance, and make us stand up and take notice that something unique was set off here. Fate and purpose now have a new name: Android Lust. The new album, Devour, Rise and Take Flight simply defies description. The wonderfully warped, mind-bending assault is strangely cohesive in that we are walking though the mind of Shikhee, writer, performer and creator of Android Lust.

Pushing the barrier forward, this new record takes us into new and refreshing territory. "Wicked Days" first caught my ear as a captivating track, with so much feeling and depth upon hearing it once, I immediately wanted to hear it again. "Fell The Empty Mask" was another crystal heart track for me (crystal heart means honest, cold and brutal). "Memory Game" is another fantastic track with a great line in it: "Seems my memory has stalled/words mean nothing at all." I just thought this was bent... and of course "Dragonfly" is bombastically cool, but as a preference I like the "Low" version on the single.

How different this disc was caught me off guard, which any progressive underground disc should... knock you on your ass and you should say wow. This did for me. The album title Devour, Rise and Take Flight reflects the ascension of the artist, Shikhee, fine-tuning her craft into an intelligent audio assault. The boundaries have been broken, now enjoy the storm.

Its a bit difficult at times to put into words what
you feel while experiencing the soundwaves of a
new disc spinning...
And for some, a collection of your favorite artists
work is much like a puzzle that is not complete without
each piece...Each piece of time building up to what
the artist has become and improved...
The quality of this disc through emotions
and the mental pictures that it carves into your mind,
and production techniques that are quite often
left out of many releases today makes it stand out from the
other releases in a collection of modern releases.
It leaves a mark, and it doesnt all come the first listen.
You will hear new things with each spin that
you swear werent there before.
There may even be times you shut the cd off
to make sure that its really the cd you are hearing,
not someone behind you...Or in the other room slamming the door...
And many times i found myself saying outloud
"did i really just hear my thoughts and experiences presented outloud in song form by another...
Or did i just imagine thats what the lyrics were...?"

As i mentioned before, this doesnt all come the first listen,
Maybe not even the second listen, but when you feel it,
youll know what to look for and you will continue to break apart and study pieces continuously...
There are moments of very personal writing that becomes
much more than "just" writing when sang by that voice you will
remember forever...It becomes alive and you feel
emotions you may not be sure if your supposed to be feeling....

A friend of mine, described it as "the dividing part 2!"
I dont completely agree. Its much broader than The previous
"The Dividing."
Much more colorful, much more dimensional, and very much
improved in the clarity of its structure and production.

It does contain the elements of "astral Projection" that
The Dividing started and instilled permanently
into the listeners mind,
however it is much deeper,less obvious,more open ended to interpretation,much more haunting!
A wider direction soundwise and themewise than The Dividing,
as apposed to a continuation in the direction of
the theme/approach to The Dividing.

Soundwise-now thats a *HUGE* improvement!
Proof that the artist does not want to release anything
short of amazing,capturing,finely detailed,
no stone left unturned!
Proof that the artist does not want to release
a generic listening environment in *ANY* way at all!
Its startling how real the "environment" becomes!

"LEAH" brings shivers from the top of whats left of my
mind down to the depths of my arched back everytime i listen,
An excellent example of a "listening environment" as apposed
to the common "track number ___" so common in many of todays
recent releases.
The kind of environment, you swear is not comeing out of the speakers.

This disc also opens up many new doors for music listeners
of all preferences,shapes and sizes.
Much more "depth" than the other great releases,
You have to hear it to believe it, words cant do the justice
of explaining the growth Android Lust has proven to have done,
many new exciting elements of sound created with the many faces of instruments-accoustic,stringed,technology synthetics,etc.
Much more than any of the other releases.

I will leave the lyrical interpretation of the songs up to you,
However if there is one thing to be said about it,
you will feel every breath of every lyric and picture it
paints straight in your chest just like you feel the descending
of an airplane approaching the runway.

"Thomael" captures a piece or perhaps pieces of time of the artists companions voices contributing to the time capsule that is known as an album.

There are 13 tracks total,and all 13 of them shoot straight back through your head like a fever when the disc has finished,
You will sit in the silence and think about what you have just heard,and the places it has taken you,and the faces you remember.
Dare you take another spin???
Or continue to ponder in the hallway that this key has opened up?

Shikhee has always inpressed me with her talent when it comes to music, and this album is no exception. This review will not be long, because it would just repeat itself: This album is fantastic. No other way to say it. Buy it here, buy it on iTunes, just buy it. You'll be glad you did.

I love the idea of a female fronted Industrial rock band. Android Lust serve as one of the verry few bands to even attempt such a thing and for that I give them cred. As for this album..."This Body", and "Dragonfly" are really the only songs that I am really excited about. I felt that this album was just a little too slow for my tastes...and many of the songs took too long to build up and climax...hey...kinda like a girl! Heah. Anyways, if your looking for the female version of Nine Inch Nails than look no further. Sadley, Android Lust needs a little more work.