INFERNAL MACHINA

Jannick Top's Infernal Machina is a credible attempt to create a modern Zeuhl masterpiece without compromising the elements which made the genre so fascinating in the 1970s. An album-length piece along the lines of Mekanik Destruktiw Kommandoh and other Magma classics, the composition incorporates all the pulsing rhythms and choral vocals you expect of vintage Zeuhl but also adds some more modern elements - there's electronic samples and interventions here and there, and in the final track Resolutio there's a brash and dirty guitar solo which wouldn't be too out of place on a Nine Inch Nails album. Overall, it's a dark and fascinating album which is a real grower; it might not sound too special at first, but the adept way in which it builds to the climax of the piece makes it addictive stuff, though repeated listens may become a chore due to some of the more repetitive sections rather outstaying their welcome.