A proof of how delayed we are in our review section is that it has taken us so long to write about the new work of Zwaremachine, a band that we have followed since our beginnings. Now that we are getting close to the end of the year, I am trying to catch up with all these reviews, so let’s go with the first one. Conquest 3000 is the second long play of Mach Fox’s EBM/dark electro act, where we can find ten tracks, some of them were already familiar because they appeared in the EP Ripping at the Fabric.
In Zwaremachine, together with Mach Fox, we can also find D-bot and Dein Offizier, creating a imposing EBM machine. Their first album Be a Light was also commented and if you want more information about them, we have interviewed the band a couple of times.
What a great start is “International Hero,” a song with the energy and insolence of punk. It’s a real sonic assault with the powerful electro rhythm trademark of the band and a screeching sound that I really enjoy. Zwaremachine know how to start an album. “Toymaker” is one of the new tracks and has a lighter atmosphere, way less aggressive than the previous song and with that special classic electro touch given by the vocoder used in the chorus. The frenetic “What we are,” has a great work of synths. The music of Zwaremachine sounds futuristic and perfect for driving in a desolate landscape, and this track is just a perfect sample of that. “Parasol” is great EBM and very danceable. “Ripping at the fabric” is another of the rapid songs of the album and also one of the best. Harsh vocals and a repetitive sound that will go straight to your brain. Zwaremachine continue giving us no rest with “Zero Containment”: fast and powerful dark electro with a great chorus. It’s also the most danceable song of the album. With “New design,” we have realized something quite curious: if you listen to the track alone, it’s a very powerful and heavy one, but inside the album, in contract with the songs around it, it looks like a slow track, a rest after the sonic assault that this album is.
We already said that “Conquest 3000” was one of the best tracks created by the band, although owner of a very disturbing atmosphere, still works perfectly as a single. Punk attitude is back in “Resist,” getting a great result in the EBM track. The grand finale is called “Until Tomorrow”: powerful, aggressive and with industrial sounds.
Zwaremachine have recorded again a work that will delight any EBM/dark electro fans as much as it has done to us.
