REVIEWS

Severe Illusion
Armed Evolution

DSBP Records / Advoxya Records

Posted: Friday, October 19, 2007
By: Matthew Johnson
Assistant Editor

Severe Illusion's Fredrik Djurfeldt and Ulf Lundblad may well be the best band still playing classic EBM. Eschewing the scene's various trends, the Swedish duo build harsh dance masterpieces from deceptively simple synth melodies and drum patterns, lovingly tweaked to deliver the sting of industrial distortion and expressing a uniquely sardonic view of world issues. That deceptive simplicity is captured perfectly on this EP's opening track, "I Wish I Was Dead," which at first comes across as a bland bass line and some whispered vocals - solid club fare, no doubt, but nothing special - but which blends noisier elements of feedback and dissonance with the hypnotically repeating rhythm section, displaying a subtlety unnecessary for club play and unmatched by Severe Illusion's contemporaries. "And Some Other Dead Stuff" embodies Djurfeldt and Lundblad's Scandinavian bleakness, and final track "Eight Minutes is a Long Time," the only track on Armed Evolution to depart from the dance formula, creates deeply sarcastic socio-political commentary with manipulated samples of conversation. "Do you know that in Calcutta, somebody dies of starvation every eight minutes?" asks one voice. "Eight minutes is a long time," comes the muffled reply. In addition to the new material, an updated version of "Trust," from the band's debut album, gives it a darker, fuller sound and a deliberate pace that works on the dance floor without necessarily pandering to the club crowd. Remixes by The Pain Machinery and Spetsnaz add some variety to keep DJs from getting bored, but don’t add much or really depart from the original material. Caustic's mix of "And Some Other Dead Stuff" is a bit more interesting with its raw, flattened beats, and Barrikad's mix of "Trust" draws things out nicely with a quietly ominous intro, but more variety in the remix offerings would have been welcome. All these remixes really do is point out how good Severe Illusion's original work is; so far, no one's been able to beat the masters at their own game.