Robot (A) - Time to Retaliate

Artist: Robot (A)

CD title: Time to Retaliate

Label: D Trash Records

Genre: Industrial/Punk

Website: https://robota.bandcamp.com

Reviewer: DJ Kantrip

Date: 02/08/2011

https://robota.bandcamp.com

Robot (A) delivers this fun EP full of post-punk noise industrial from the UK.   The band effortlessly fuses  the punk-industrial sound of bands like Mindless Self Indulgence with the pop culture kitsch of  The Gothscicles, and distorted scream-o vocals of Atari Teenage Riot.  The result is about 30 minutes of giant robot themed fun.

Musically the band is composed of  hard post-punk guitars,  backed by  industrial beats, and then bridges it all together with some bizarre Casio-esque synths.  While all these elements are beautifully juggled through out the album, the overall sound is nothing unique.  Robot (A) sounds too much like Mindless Self Indulgence or Retard-O-Bot.    That's not to discount this band's talent.  Robot (A)'s clean production and perfectly balanced elements make Time to Retaliate sound like something you could  find for sale in a major retailer.  Its just not terribly original.

Normally this reviewer likes to comment on the nature of the vocals and lyrics, however this was the only aspect of this EP I found hard to enjoy.  The guitars, synths and drums often drowned out a lot of the faster and more chaotic portions of the lyrics.  Even when the vocals stood out against the wall of sound, they are still a bit too scream-y to understand what is being said.  While this is part of the appeal to this style of Industrial/Punk, having the lyrics printed in the liner notes may have helped.  At least then listeners would be able to follow along.

Overall, Time to Retaliate is a fun listen.  Not too much in the way of substance or originality, but really if you want something fast, loud, and doesn't take itself seriously,  this is a CD for you.