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Written
by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin
Formed
by David Varga and John Tumminia, Cyborg Asylum is a project that’s untampered
with by outside forces. Recorded in
Varga’s own Sky Box studios (as both David and John are producers themselves)
and featuring no external involvement besides guitar parts written by and
recorded/played by close friend Phil Jones, these guys have complete and total
control of their creative destiny. This
hands-on approach to creating and writing gives Cyborg Asylum a very dynamic,
passionate presence that can be heard in every corner of the band’s flagship
album Never Finished, Only Abandoned.
The
record storms into existence with a tempest of screeching and whirring synths
while pounding electro-beats drive every sonic rivet into place during opener
“Blitz’s” monstrous, late 80s industrial workout. Cyborg Asylum seems to be beamed in from that
period between 1986 and 1996 where guitars gradually increased their prominence
in industrial music (hence the eventual coining of the term “industrial
metal”). “Synergy” harmonizes riffs with
keyboards line as John’s vocals cut through layers of distortion until reaching
a clean, melodic hook during the chorus.
Overall, the track is along the lines of a ballad but avoids sweetness
thanks to gritty guitar work, fervent beats and strong singing that reels with
conviction even at its most melodic. “My
Metallic Dream” grooves on a throbbing beat, punchy bass lines and quick swipes
of heavy guitar and soulful vocal harmonies.
It pulsates hard enough to please Rammstein fans but followers of
mid-period VAST should be able to really enjoy the melodic aspects.
Variety
in the band’s musical arsenal is applied without warning. If “My Metallic Dream” was a waypoint between
Cyborg Asylum’s many extremes, “War Machine” throws the kill-switch in a
mushroom cloud of nail-biting noise synths, mean angular guitar riffs and
percussion that’s sure to incite a moshpit.
Subtleties be damned…this is as heavy as the style gets! Instead of rewriting the same tune over and
over again, “Weightless” opens with an autumnal, single note synth line paired
to a searing, solemn vocal melody that’s top-shelf when it comes to the genre. Cavernous, tremoring bass shakes the Earth
beneath trippy keyboards and heady, hard rock riffs. Tumminia’s vocals particularly shine and
display the majestic highs of his register, especially during the outro where
he hits his longest, strongest notes atop Phil Jones’ blistering slow motion
riffs. This song alone makes the album
worth a buy.
“Angle
of Incidence” applies single chord, metallic riff strum to grandiose synths
straight out of a baroque silver screen epic.
It juxtaposes and contrasts beautifully with the opening acoustic guitar
groove of “Steampunk Highway” which eventually tips the scale to the meat and
potatoes rock/metal that the band always carries in their back pocket. There’s a complexity on hand here because of
the guitar/cello arrangements and electronic backgrounds that makes this piece
far more than simply a “rock” track.
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