Teleoptyk- Bloodfile

ARTIST: Teleoptyk

ALBUM: Bloodfile

LABEL: Octofoil Records

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 3-18-09

The debut release from this Washington, DC-area artist brings a moodier, more understated vibe to power noise that hearkens back to the genre's beginnings. While there's a hint of electro and EBM flavor on "Conversion," with its whimsical beeps and blips, and "Faustian," with its chopped samples and vintage-sounding bass sequence, it's largely classical electro that's being referenced here; Teleoptyk is worlds apart from the in-your-face beats and intentionally shocking samples of acts like Terrorfakt and Combichrist. Instead, this music, though club-friendly, is dark but subtle, with "Drawing Circles" built around a two-note minor-key tone progression and rhythms that alternate between pounding bass and clattering industrial march. Likewise, "Hurt You" gives crunching rhythmic noise loops a little extra atmosphere with an undercurrent of soft, bleak synthesizers, and title track "Bloodfile" is classic breakbeat-fueled power noise sure to appeal to fans of Noisex, P.A.L., and Converter. A promising EP, this offers just enough to whet your appetites for a full-length; let's hope Teleoptyk already has one in the works.

Check out Teloptyk on MySpace at www.myspace.com/teleoptyk for sound samples and more information.