 FullBlackHabit |Metropolis Records, 2007| 
I’m Just A Mess,Come For You,Cables and Wires,Suffering You,And You Are All Alone Again,The End Of It All,Afterglow,Feel It Through,The Defect People,The Error,You Run,Whisper Cure,Therapy
The content of the album is a mature one in every of its aspects. It's not only an association to FullMetalJacket name but seems like Eric Powell reconned up with his music fascinations and ideas, to find a golden mean what finally led him to create an album with a variety of songs, modern and fresh but still recognized as a 16volt's venture. I can hear influences from Gary Numan, Ministry, new NIN, still edgy but also mellow, electronic songs, I guess inspired by Eric's cooperation with bands like Ringer or Ohn.
16volt's music has been always somewhere among infantileness, sweetness and aggression. Eric kids with the listeners in some moments but he quickly makes us realize he's serious. This album is truly industrial-rock orientated, contains both of the style features, extended by a few add-ons of other styles (listen to samples in Cables and Wires).
Suffering You it's a song placed on SuperCoolNothing 2.0 album released in 2002 tho in a slightly remixed version put out on FullBlackHabit 7 years later with additional guitrs and bass parts by Kraig Tyler (Chemlab).
I have 4 favourites from that album. Defect People was one of the songs published at 16volt's Myspace profile as a teaser for the incoming album featuring Paul Raven (bass, Prong, Ministry, ex Killing Joke), Steve White (guitar, KMFDM) and Jason Bazinet (drums, SMP, 64K).
The second pearl is And You Are All Alone Again, with dynamical rhythm and a few soft refrains. The third is The Error, of which short samples I heard before the album release and those samples gave me an idea the song would be one of the best on the album. Indeed, it's an old well known 16volt with his aggressive vibe, typical for the band guitar riffs and a few new add-ons standing for the band's progress.
If you're not a fan of band's suggested tracklistings, make The Error a starting point for the album auditioning.
The last favourite of mine is Come For You, very rhythmic, where sweetness is mingled with brutality what leads to a surprising and awakening result. This is the song what my ears caught and kept for a longer time after the first album listening but at the same time it didn't become boring. I guess the song is too short still, but with its structure if longer would lose an attractiveness.
A total hit for all radio stations as well as the incoming live shows will be Therapy song with its chilling out down vibe what will be a nice interlude after all that aggressive songs like The Error, Come For You or Defect People mentioned above. Therapy is kept in ballad-esque motive with interesting samples, softer than others but don't find it emo! ;) If I am right I've heard some exotic instruments used for the song so that would be a great idea to use them more in the background for the next 16volt release. Can you remember Hizbollah by Ministry? That's what I'm thinking about.
The End of It All reminds me a new NIN vibe and the title of the song is somewhat remarkable too. The other kind of alternative song with a catchy refrain and easy to remember tunes is called You Run and should be a hit during the live shows as well I suppose.
The apogee of an interest in industrial rock style of music came between 1990-1996, but since 2 or 3 years it's been observed a return of bands and a growing interest in the style. It's not only about Chicago and Texas, or other places in the USA where the style was born but also new places of a growing interest in industrial rock/metal ventures found in Europe this time and I mean mostly France and Switzerland (Fanoe, Mephistosystem). It's also about an awaking of bands well known in the 90's which came from a longer hiatus to reunite in 2007 and a rising interest of a new generation who needs something both guitars driven and samples enriched.
I was looking for at least one poor song on FullBlackHabit. I haven't found any. Moreover, it's not a surprise the album was a number 1 of Top 10 Metropolis Records Store sellers during a full month! (June - July 2007). Get it and check out!
(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz. Not for a commercial use. See a Legal Note for the copyrights below)
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