C-Lekktor- The Silence Procession

ARTIST: C-Lekktor

ALBUM: The Silence Procession

LABEL: COP International

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 2-23-09

The latest band to emerge from Mexico's growing dark electronic scene, C-Lekktor don't add much to the legacy of Hocico and Amduscia, but what they lack in innovation they more than make for with intensity. The trio's debut album strikes a huge blow against minimalism; any given song is condensed enough to be split into two or three lesser tracks as loops pile upon loops, sequences upon sequences, effects upon effects, all to a thumping high-BPM kick. There's no empty space left for contemplation; from the low end bass lines most prominent on "An Empty Soul" to the skittering waves of trance leads on the treble end, every track is layered so thickly it's almost hard to pick individual elements apart, but the trance elements combine with the synthesized choir effects and vocalist Markko B.'s distorted growls for an effect that's eminently club-friendly but also powerfully dark. That darkness is only emphasized on the occasional slower tracks, like the ominous "Silence Remains" with its subtle choir effects, and more especially "De la Gloria al Inferno," a thick morass of hellish electronic effects and tortuous rasping vocals that will appeal especially to fans of Psyclon Nine. Clocking in at a little under an hour, the album itself is as tightly condensed as each of the tracks that make up its whole, storming in on wings of demonic synthesizers and shrieking vocals, annihilating everything in its path, and departing as fast as it came, with "Infected" closing things out with a frantic rumble of trance sequences and speedy kicks. This isn't an album that pushes terror EBM into new territory, but it certainly ups the ante as far as aggression and atmosphere are concerned, and for a debut album, that's more than enough. There's no question C-Lekktor are going places.

Take your place in the procession at www.clekktor.com.