Siva Six- Black Will

ARTIST: Siva Six

ALBUM: Black Will

LABEL: Decadance Records

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 4-7-07

Just a year after their debut, Siva Six are back with another hour of club-oriented terror EBM. The horror themes are still in effect, with lush orchestral arrangements and sampled choirs adding plenty of atmosphere to such tracks as "Deep Black Will" and instrumental "Erevos," but there's no shortage of pure aggression, either. "Pig" throws together a barrage of samples from such tried and true sources as Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, and of course George W. Bush, and laces them all together with high-speed industrial clanking and a pulsing kick drum. "Mister" is classic Satanic electro in the vein of Leaether Strip, and the brilliantly menacing "Her Eyes Black" is no less chilling for its slower tempo, thanks to thickly distorted beats, choral ambience, and the hate-filled snarl of Z, the band's enigmatically-named lead vocalist. In addition to Siva Six's clear old school influences, this album also incorporates hard trance influences, particularly on "Now It's Dark" and "The Seal," which employs a multi-layered vocal effect that makes Z sound like an entire pack of devils, freshly released from some hellish portal and ready for mayhem. While this album offers the occasional formulaic moment, with the Darth Vader samples on "See The Six" coming off as more clumsy than anything else, the Siva Six's ability to integrate multiple styles within an overall framework of terror EBM is to be commended, and the mix of cinematic brass section and B-movie theremin on "Line In...Line Down" is particularly memorable. Siva Six know what they're doing, and they do it well, managing to work in the occasional moment of surprising innovation without deviating too far from a dark but danceable sound that all but guarantees plenty of club play.

See the Six atwww.sivasix.com.