ReView: Degenerated Sequences – Schism0

Degenerated Sequences
Album: Schism
Category: Dark Electro / Industrial / Electronic
Label: Advoxya Records
Release Date: 2023-02-20
Author: Ryan James (DreamXE)

Hailing from Greece, Degenerated Sequences is the one man project of Yiannis Dseq, a keyboardist of the aggrotech band Preemptive Strike 0.1. The project’s second album, Schism leans away from the more aggressive sound of his former group, indulging in a style that cleaves closely to classic dark electro… very closely, in fact; one listen to any of the album’s 10 tracks makes it quite clear that Schism is a dedicated genre exercise with few frills. Such albums live and die by their application and execution of the chosen style, and fortunately, Degenerated Sequences largely sticks the landing.

Songs like “Nightcrawler” and “Lust For Extinction” exemplify the fundamentals of dark electro with their big, atmospheric pads, distorted vocals, and tightly programmed synth leads interlaced with film samples – nothing that a longtime fan of the genre hasn’t heard before, but done well and properly glossed up with modern production. If those songs take their time with their builds and opt for a more sprawling approach, “Time” and “City of Decay” amp up the tempo for the dancefloor while keeping just enough of the melodic touches that Desq has a knack for to ensure they have decent hooks to carry them past the club. However, the record’s best track might just be “Digital Minds;” foregoing the processed vocals, Dseq wisely applies tasteful sampling without letting them weigh down the production, and allows plenty of air for an addictive synth arpeggio to serve as the hook.

Following a well-established template with enough individual personality and songwriting to set it apart, Schism is a fine record. While it won’t do much to convert anyone without an inclination for dark electro, that clearly isn’t the aim; the album is crafted with skill and a deep appreciation for the genre, and those that enjoy it ought to find plenty to appreciate with Degenerated Sequences’ latest offering.
 
Track list:

1. Nightcrawler
2. Divine Redemption
3. Violent Termination
4. Lust For Extinction
5. Interstellar
6. Digital Minds
7. City of Decay
8. Time
9. Defective Circuit
10. As Darkness Falls

 
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