Various Artists: Coma Music Magazine: GCS2

Artists: Various Artists

CD Title: Coma Music Magazine: GCS2

Label: Self- Released

Genre: EBM, Industrial, Electro

Reviewer: Reg Davey

Date: 7-30-11

 https://coma-online.com

COMA Music Magazine are back with GCS2, the second instalment of their series of compilations exposing some of the best in underground industrial and electro music out there at the moment.

I reviewed number 1 a little while ago, and they have just sent me this new one. This is a collection of 17 tracks from across the spectrum of new music out there. Whilst the choices on the first one were good, this is a vast improvement on quality of acts involved. It goes to show being a bit choosy goes a long way in the land of compilations.

There were a few acts I was already familiar with, namely Ben Arp (C/A/T, Captive Six, Crunch Pod Records), The Gothsicles, The Ludovico Technique, Attrition, Sinsect and Inertia, there are a fair few acts that I have never heard of on here (Sensuous Enemy and Scream Machine, anyone?). But, I have to say I've not found a bad track on this compilation. If I were to give marks out of ten for it, then they would all be hedging toward 7/8 at least.

So, what about the songs then? Well, to hand pick a couple, “Ventriloquist Twitch” by 9^th Evolution is a hybrid of Die Krupps and HolyWood-era Manson; Ludovico Technique are deliciously dark and brooding on their track “Living Fitlh”; Sinsect tweak powernoise into something dark and apocalyptic with “Sudden Storms”; Endif are pretty ear-bleeding on “Last Tribe”; Scream Machines “Parasite” kind of reminds me of a sedated MSI; Severed go for old-school EBM and electro sounds on “Xelereant”; The Gothsicles make me want to cuddle a Koopa and dance around in an 8 bit jig with their contribution, hardly surprising there... In short, this album has a bit of something for everyone.

The guys at COMA Music Magazine are definitely doing it right with this. I tip my hat to them, I really do. What the underground scene needs is people like this willing to put together this kind of compilation, with a sense of quality control. Here's to GCS3.