I discovered Black Metal with The Covenant (the band's original name) when they re-issued In Times Before Light. I pursued then to get Nexus Polaris, their best album as far as I'm concerned. When Animatronic came out, it found its place in my collection too. Those CDs eventually gathered dusk in my bookshelf. When this promo came in, a sense of déjà vu was felt. Now 10 years later, Animatronic is given a second life, as a limited edition.
Animatronic marked the departure from the band's original Black Metal roots. Lex Icon & co ventured into a more cybernetic world. The electronics / keyboards and samplings are now playing a major role in the song structure. Backed by crunchy guitar riffs, punchy drums and operatic female vocals, Lex Icon's vocals are wicked and sickly deranged. All this electro-metal madness is melodic, adventurous at times, and even catchy. I could have done personally without the danceable beats and parts (I ain't a dancin' fool). Their next release, SETI, was pretty much in the same vein, if my memory serves me right, so I never bothered with these guys afterwards. Of the ten songs proposed, track # 3, "Mannequin" appears crunchier and more metal, plus it has a nice twisted ambience.
These re-issues from Metal Mind Productions will give a possibility for the ones who missed the later work from this Norwegian Black and Cyber metal act.
Track listing:
1 – Mirrors Paradise
2 – New World Order
3 – Mannequin
4 – Sindrom
5 – Jihad
6 – The Human Abstract
7 – Prophecies of Fire
8 – In the Name of the Future
9 – Spaceman
10 – The Birth of Tragedy
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