Obszon Geschopf- Son of Evil

Artist: Obszon Geschopf
CD Title: Son of Evil
Label: BLC Productions
Reviewer: Matthew Johnson
Date: 3/1/05

Despite the oft-repeated criticisms, EBM is more than just formulaic dance music. As acts ranging from Covenant to Terrorfakt have shown, the genre’s basic building blocks of samples, drum machines, and electronic loops can be used to create music in endless subtle variations, from simple to complex, humorous to homicidal. Unfortunately, too many acts are still falling back on hackneyed formulas. Take French act Obszon Geschopf’s new release, for example. While there’s nothing wrong with movie samples per se, using quotes from “The Exorcist” is passé at the very least. Then there are the vocals, processed into unintelligibility. While this technique has worked for acts like Belgium’s GrandChaos in more experimental explorations, on a seventy-minute dance record it’s just a reason to ignore the vocals entirely. While this album does have its interesting moments, like the Ministry-styled drum track on “Dead Christ” or the building intensity of instrumental track “Fright Night,” a lot of the stuff on here just feels like filler, as if the band couldn’t be bothered to shut off the equipment. While the epic length of “Entrails of Hell” might create a trance-like effect in a more abstract, minimal composition, here it just ends up being tiresome. This is an album with enough beats to hold your interest on the dance floor, but just barely, and it certainly doesn’t have much more to offer than that.

Visit BLC Productions at www.blcmusic.com for more information on Obszon Geschopf.