DYM- The Invilid

ARTIST: DYM

ALBUM: The Invilid

LABEL: COP International

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 2-23-09

DYM abbreviates the phrase "Death to Your Modern," but if the Canadian duo's aesthetic hearkens back to the abrasive sounds of early EBM and industrial artists like Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly, their actual approach is nothing if not modern, employing the latest techniques of breakbeat manipulation, studio glitches, and sample slicing and chopping for a sound that draws upon the tropes of terror EBM but approaches things from an entirely new angle. While it's true that DYM have thrown in a few more conventional tracks, like the no-frills "Government Stomp!" and the cold, Haujobb-inspired pulsing of "Touch," most of the tracks on their debut incorporate multiple, seemingly incompatible styles. "Autonomy of the Will" combines a repetitive rasping vocal effect with thick synth trills and funky electro breaks that recall the late '90s West Coast techno popularized by producers like Uberzone and The Crystal Method; it's like a California desert rave crashed by a demonic army. "NeuWorldBrave" is grim and jagged terror EBM with a rhythm line that's danceable but completely unpredictable, and "Martha Monoxide" combines the swampy vocoder effects of early Suicide Commando with grinding loops and distorted kicks and snares that wouldn't sound out of place on a Noisex or Terrorfakt album. "EBGM" is so full of glitches it almost stops itself before it really gets going, but the beat is so relentless it overtakes the skittering bits of static and chopped, rolling vocal hooks. Terror EBM often gets knocked as one of the scene's most formulaic subgenres, but DYM serve as the perfect reminder that there's still plenty of life left in that old sound. Unchallenged by the conventional four-on-the-floor stomp, DYM have brought a new approach to the old formula, and their enthusiasm is infectious.

Visit DYM's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/dym for song samples and more information.