Katarzyna Draconina Górnisiewicz | Detailed or mini-review submissions: song, EP/album | Suggest an artist

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Dizzolve - The Hookwirm EP |Machine Man Rec., 2017|

1. Porno Dump, 2. Hookwirm, 3. Trident, 4. sPill Ur bLood, 5. WEAPONZ (Take What's Mine)

Dizzolve merges a few non-contrasting genres such as harsh electro, EBM and cold wave. Since its date of inception (6/6/2006, in Philadelphia), Dizzolve’s musicians have released 8 albums, also successfully overcoming a hiatus during the 2012 Mayan 'end of the world' event. Their newest EP will be available to purchase since mid-December 2017 - let's take a closer look at it.

There are five brand new tracks clocking around 4 minutes each on average. The duo (Josh – vocals, AleK - guitar) prefer minimalistic compositions based on repetitive arrangements, supported by angry, hating, and slightly digitally distorted vocals. The beat is all-present but is also mixed with vocals and divided by synths, offering nice breaks from the notorious 'move your body' rhythm. All this is delivered within the first (and shortest) track entitled 'Porno Dump'.
Later, the guitar plays a more important role in the title track. The noisy guitar additions make the underlying amalgam of vocals and synths sound like 90's industrial rock. The arrangements are based on a 1-2-3 rhythm, imprinting themselves upon your memory. There's a bit of guitar soloing too but it's purposely distorted to match the overall industrial vibe of the song.

'Trident' is a word tribute to the band 3Teeth, since the Dizzolve guys are fans of their music. It may make some of the original industrial fans feel old, considering that 3Teeth have been influenced by the 90's cold wave and industrial genres. Thus, we're facing the 3rd generation of musicians who dig the mechanical yet beat-driven vibe with fresh interest. Technically, 'Trident' brings evenly distributed parts of guitars, beats and synths/samplers. Again, the hateful vocals dominate on top of the cues but the overall expression feels as if the core fire of vengeance hadn't been released fully, waiting to be sprayed onto the listeners further down the line.

'Weaponz (Take What's Mine)' initially brings a less tense atmosphere supported by 8-bit tunes, very popular these days and hailing back from the Atari/Commodore gaming scene of the 80s. However, the song continues the beat-driven theme later. The danceable rhythm makes the chorus memorable, but the old school, robot-esque effects as already known from the 70's electronic music can put off some ‘old school’ listeners.

The lyrics are obviously judgmental, though it's difficult to understand their meaning without having the right context. According to the songwriter Josh, the lyrics were written while dealing with feelings of betrayal and vengeance but also retrieving his own power after being emotionally abused. It makes sense as it's been a common theme in many genres though industrial music somewhat incorporated it the strongest – musicians cool down both their soul's and their ego's suffering with mechanistic tunes in an attempt to either express, or on the contrary, dehumanize the pain of disappointment.

Time for a few final thoughts. First of all, do use a pair of good headphones for the best sonic experience since there are so many individual sounds on the EP to attract your ears, that regular speakers may not reproduce them too well due to environmental noise (unless you already have an audiophile setup in place).
Secondly, 'sPill Ur bLood' is a hit song on this EP and could be easily used for broader promotion or submitted for use in a video game. The track truly moves energy in the body, as much as it brings a desired thrill in the skull. This happens through contrasting, low sounding synths and a multitude of other higher sounds, matched with the vocal parts and the danceable beat very well.
Thirdly, if you've been a fan of electro/industrial music, you'll find the EP pleasing to digest. However, purists who are used to listening to more mainstream genres like pop or rock may find the songs here too harsh and variable.
Finally, the EP encourages to check out other parts of Dizzolve's discography to find out if they've developed much since 2006, either thanks to the technological boom, or their own songwriting ideas.

(Reviewer: Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Industrial Rock & Metal Encyclopedia, November 27th, 2017. Proofreading: Mike 'Vesper' Dziewoński)

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