Siva Six- The Twin Moons

Artist: Siva Six

CD title: The Twin Moons

Label: Alfa-Matrix

Genre: Industrial, Electro

Website: https://www.sivasix.com/

Reviewer: DJ Kantrip

Date: 05/19/2011

https://www.alfa-matrix.com/shop_comments.php?id=2019_0_8_0_C

The Twin Moons is the upcoming third album from Greek Electro/Industrial act Siva Six.   Continuing the theme of the Apocalypse, The Twin Moons visits a time when the Earth and Sky merge, and Hell and Heaven collide.  In the world of The Twin Moons, there are no more boundaries and the struggle for survival has been taken up a few notches.   Combining harsh EBM with the orchestral arrangements of Chris Antoniou, The Twin Moons is a high energy album, perfect for clubs but atmospheric and complex enough to hold a listener's attention in a more casual setting.

At first listen the Twin Moons sounds like a rather generic Industrial – EBM project, and truth be told all of the typical elements are there.  Apocalyptic or Post-Apocalyptic setting, lyrics that speak of survival, revenge, anger, with a chance of redemption.  Hard beats, harsh synths, and sinister raspy vocals.  A good addition to a club set that fits perfectly along with Funker Vogt, Das Ich, or Hoccico.  That's not to say that Siva Six's most recent album is cookie cutter.  Antoniou's orchestration adds an organic depth to the the synths and beats.  Rather than just imagining as a third person being in this hellish half-world, an immersible experience is being creative.  The horns, and violins give an earthy and gritty taste to this musical battlefield.  The synths are klaxons going off in the back ground.  There is an attempt to really pull the listener into the album's theme.

One track of note is the Valley of the Shadows, which starts off slow and solemn with a piano being played and a child  singing bible songs through what sounds like a radio filter.  Once the intro is over a steady beat takes over.  The vocals aren't too harsh on this song, and take on a bit of a Project Pitchfork feel.  Serpent Whore kicks off hard and fast with little fanfare.  While the promotional material touts Valley of the Shadows as a club track, Serpent Whore feels more like a track that can be slipped into a good EBM set without too much fiddling.  Closing out the album is Stardust, a cover/tribute to Vangelis' Blade Runner theme.  The song is a electro-industrial take on the iconic Sci-Fi theme with vocalist, Z singing lyrics that seem to guide the listener out of this Hell-world.  Letting the credits roll as it were.

In closing, The Twin Moons is an impressive release for Siva Six.  It's nothing too terribly daring and sticks to the current conventions of EBM, and Electro-Industrial pretty closely.  It does have depth to it that makes it stand out though, taking an overly used theme and giving it a bit of a fresh look.  If you're a fan of Funker Vogt, Hoccico and Colony 5, The Twin Moons is an album that may find a happy place in your collection. Check it out when its released on June 17^th 2011.