Doomsday Virus- Catastrophic Error

Artist: Doomsday Virus
CD Title: Catastrophic Error
Label: Self-Released
Reviewer: Matthew Johnson
Date: 10-20-05

The new album from Doomsday Virus is a competent if not exceptional blend of old-school dark electro and coldwave-influenced guitar rock. Title track “Catastrophic Error” is the album’s best feature, with mid-tempo breakbeats and multiple layers of screamed vocals, while “Futility” shows songwriter N. Dru at his most lyrical, delivering nihilistic verses over a retro synth-bass and punkish power chords. Many of the rest of the songs, however, tend towards repetition and predictability; nearly every song can be defined by its horror film keyboard line. Moreover, though Imperative Reaction’s Ted Phelps did a good job mastering this, some of the original mixing still shows through as being unsteady, particularly on album opener “I Still Burn” and the industrial garage rock of “Empty Space.” Although Doomsday Virus shows potential and will appeal to fans of early industrial rock, the band still has a ways to go both in terms of songwriting and production.

Visit www.doomsdayvirus.com for more information.