The Slovak duo of mir Colon & K-Head have put together a pretty challenging release that mixes the accessable with many more experimental & offbeat motifs although the song structures are easily recognisable throughout, with 'Tyranny', in particular, coming close to the vintage EBM styles of Doppler Effect et al (although the lyrics are spewed out as if they were the rabid outpourings of the totally insane) while a more full-blooded sound gives both 'Obsequious' & 'The Fleece' a relatively accessable edge. For the most part, though, the consistently dark mood that characterises much of the album makes this one to listen to late at night with the lights off to better appreciate its dark soundscapes. The morose cover art is well-suited to the music's feral rawness which suggests thick dark clouds lowering over a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Every element plays its part, be it the manic 'Proper Behaviour' (the stripped-down Severe Illusion remix of which provides, along with 'Jezis Kristus', the album's best chance of any club attention) or 'The Wrath', where the unforgiving music fits the title like a glove while the 9-minute 'Candle' builds from some imaginative guitar samples. Likewise the tortured cries that open 'Enslaved' again prove that this is not an album for the faint of heart & although I originally thought that the odd voice samples that open 'Leaving' was an impression of Michael Jackson (which, come to think of it, could have been the most frightening thing of all!!!) here the music sort of 'coalesces' into its final, rhythm-driven form; the evocative & melancolic strings that unexpectedly break through at one point acting like an oasis from the storm although the respite is an all too brief one, even if 'The Art Of Faith' is another more melodic offering, albeit with a rather offbeat edge. Some ethnic percussion adds something new to 'Malice Monument' which fit in well with the exotic vocal samples. The increasingly grief-stricken mood is perfectly summed up by the tolling bell that is the last sound we hear on this piece which, in its own way, is just as evocative as anything else you'll ever hear & while the album as a whole relies on imagination, the right mood & the right frame of mind on the part of the listener to get its message across it's no less effective for that. It's certainly not for everyone but those who dare to find out what lies within should find it a satisfying journey.

Review by Hard-Wired (www.hard-wired.org.uk)