Apartment 26 – Hallucinating

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Man versus machine – a constant dispute heard so much about in the daily media. What do Apartment 26 have to say about this ongoing controversy? They discuss the “unity” of both in their music. This up-and-coming band, who experiment with electronic music, techno beats, and pounding heavy metalguitars, have produced a very modern, very intense album. If pressed for a description one could say they’re kind of like Nine Inch Nails meets Korn meets Marilyn Manson…at a Chemical Brothers concert. This Hollywood Records band’s latest album is dark, angry and heavy, with a fluent techno drive throughout the record.

At the beginning of this album you hear a rhythm similar to the underground drum n’ bass music heard so often these days at raves and parties. The listener is actually fooled for a minute until hearing the heavily distorted guitar playing and realizing that their music is much heavier than previously thought. The vocal track begins almost right away, featuring a lead singer known only as “Biff”, whose harsh voice fits in well with the music but reeks of the familiar blandlessness found throughout current heavy metal vocals. The band’s lyrics, which are personal and somewhat morbid, speak of the inner turmoil of the vocalist’s mind and soul. Although Apt. 26 are creative with the electronics and mixing involved with this project, the band doesn’t stand out from all the other bands that fall into this genre of music.

Some songs, however, show a personality not evident on the album as a whole. “Keep You” features a nice acoustic/electric interlude, and “The Fear” shows the band’s mellow side. But other than cool, computer-generated cover art, youthful energy and a few semi-gems, Apartment 26 dosen’t offer anything new and innovative. You may enjoy it if you’re a hard-core fan of techno and metal – but this album is not for the musical masses.

 

 

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