Switchface - The Face-Off
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I have to admit I’m not a fan of dark electro or any other EMB, which automatically makes it hard for me to comment on a piece of music based on the above mentioned genres or including their elements. As life would have it, ‘The Face-Off’ by Switchface is exactly that kind of an album, full of dark electronics merged with a bit of EBM. This made me put my animosities towards the genre on a tight leash so I could find something of actual interest. And it worked. Examples? ‘Therapy for Freaks’ with its delicate background combined with a regular, almost marching rhythm is interesting at the very least. Following the trail of attention-grabbing electronics I found ‘Silent Sentinels’ and ‘In Vain’, two of the best tracks on the album, mainly due to their less dynamic tempos.
An additional element of "The Face-Off’ are the vocals, and the problem with the vocals is that there are three types present. The first one, the ‘industrial whisper’, is the one I find the most intriguing, and simultaneously the best of what the album has to offer. The second one is the distorted kind of vocals a’la Cher, which I usually welcome with a hiss of disapproval and put it in my ‘I don’t like it’ section. Unfortunately, most of the tunes include both types of these vocals (see ‘Silent Sentinels’, saved only by the already mentioned electronic elements), which sends some nice chills down my spine and at the same time leaves a sour taste in my mouth. ‘Manekiny’ reveals the third type of vocals, clean…and totally insipid.
Apart from the eight original tunes we also get Switchface’s version of ‘Hellraiser’ by Suicide Commando and four remixes of ‘Another Day’ (for fans of glitches and noises I recommend Traumatize’s version).
All in all, even if I managed to dig some interesting stuff up, I can’t shake off a feeling of the songs repeating themselves, as if the author had only a limited number of elements to use. Maybe its just a feeling, or maybe that’s how its supposed to be? Wherever the truth lies, ‘The Face-Off’ did not win my heart, nor has it change my opinion on dark electro, which does not mean people who like the genre cannot listen to the album and if need be add some points to the score.
Tracklist:
01. The Reawakening
02. Another Day
03. Therapy for Freaks
04. March of the Rats
05. Silent Sentinels
06. In Vain
07. Manekiny
08. Hellraiser (Suicide Commando Cover)
09. Another Day (In Solitude Mix)
10. Another Day (edit version by RSM)
11. Another Day (Remix by Traumatize)
12. Another Day (Destructed by Detuned Destruction)
Other articles:
An additional element of "The Face-Off’ are the vocals, and the problem with the vocals is that there are three types present. The first one, the ‘industrial whisper’, is the one I find the most intriguing, and simultaneously the best of what the album has to offer. The second one is the distorted kind of vocals a’la Cher, which I usually welcome with a hiss of disapproval and put it in my ‘I don’t like it’ section. Unfortunately, most of the tunes include both types of these vocals (see ‘Silent Sentinels’, saved only by the already mentioned electronic elements), which sends some nice chills down my spine and at the same time leaves a sour taste in my mouth. ‘Manekiny’ reveals the third type of vocals, clean…and totally insipid.
Apart from the eight original tunes we also get Switchface’s version of ‘Hellraiser’ by Suicide Commando and four remixes of ‘Another Day’ (for fans of glitches and noises I recommend Traumatize’s version).
All in all, even if I managed to dig some interesting stuff up, I can’t shake off a feeling of the songs repeating themselves, as if the author had only a limited number of elements to use. Maybe its just a feeling, or maybe that’s how its supposed to be? Wherever the truth lies, ‘The Face-Off’ did not win my heart, nor has it change my opinion on dark electro, which does not mean people who like the genre cannot listen to the album and if need be add some points to the score.
Tracklist:
01. The Reawakening
02. Another Day
03. Therapy for Freaks
04. March of the Rats
05. Silent Sentinels
06. In Vain
07. Manekiny
08. Hellraiser (Suicide Commando Cover)
09. Another Day (In Solitude Mix)
10. Another Day (edit version by RSM)
11. Another Day (Remix by Traumatize)
12. Another Day (Destructed by Detuned Destruction)
Other articles:
- Castle Party 2018 - 2018-07-25 (Live reports)
- Halotan Records - Sampler 03 - 2012-02-25 (Music reviews)
