DRAVEN - Massacre Blood Club

Review by Atomic Robo-Kid

That's right! Athens, Greece-based Dark Synth Artist Draven has a new album out: 'Massacre Blood Club'. Which is very welcome news as it's been almost two years since his previous, 'Abyssal Arcana'! Thankfully we have had an array of blistering singles to see us through and sustain our addiction to dark, deep beats, face melting bass and horror movie homages! With each single we have borne witness to an already highly skilled artist further developing his craft, an evolution of sound design and direction whilst cleverly maintaining his roots of dwelling in the darkest abyss! The host of collaborative tracks on 'Massacre Blood Club' have undoubtedly provided Draven with opportunities to explore EDM, EBSM, D&B and other genres whose titles consist entirely of acronyms! All that, and Dark Techno and Dubstep which I don't think have their own acronyms yet! 

I begin to prepare myself for a night on the town, a night to revel in the infamous, the notorious, yet secretive 'Massacre Blood Club'. I’m eager to feast on the flesh of mortals and further quench my thirst for that red liqour which I now crave. I know tonight is going to be like no other! Tonight will see the sacrifice of the blasphemers, the morbid additions to the torso sculpture in the pit and a night of the darkest, Skull crushing music! Let's begin...

I'm greeted into the club by deep atmospheric Trance stabs, police sirens pierce the wall of sound briefly. This is a troubled neighbourhood. 'Seductive Meat Grinder' (feat. Sebastian Komor) is an incredible kick-start to the album! An EBM style dance floor filler fuelled by thumping beats, rhythmic breaks and deep soul swallowing melodies. This club is full of pain with fresh blood on tap. This is my kinda place! 

An eerie high pitched soundscape backed by an almost muffled and reverberated, very cool, underground breakbeat sequence serves as introduction to 'Encryption' (feat. Tim N). This track, for me, showcases how Darksynth song writing can be incorporated into a Drum & Bass song structure. It has those skull crushing kicks and dark atmospheric moments associated with Darksynth juxtaposed with the rolling drums and percussion associated with Drum & Bass. This track is packaged up nicely, serving up plenty of intrigue and I'd say there's even some links with 90's underground club culture. For me, at least, bringing back some very fond memories. 

'Stained On The Mainframe' has a beautifully dark, eerie, cinematic feel to it. Filled with suspenseful moments that are fuelled by neoclassical sounds and melodies played out on a mechanical music box. The suspense is torn apart with earth shattering kicks and Dubstep style baselines. There's plenty of pent up aggression in the twisting and evolving bass that infects the orchestral parts somehow increasing the angst to the max. A suitable soundtrack whilst watching John Kramer or Patrick Bateman at work, perhaps! 

Blood is why I'm here, as I drink back more from the human prey restrained by chains lining the walls of The Massacre Blood Club. 'In The Taste Of Blood' (feat. CONNÖR) is heighted ecstasy, quenching my thirst for blood and lust for dark beats. Acid leads create a delicious, rave auditory aesthetic. Which, I feel is pretty unique given that it sits at the forefront of emotion deeply darkend by sounds of terror! 

'Not Your Kind' (feat. The Static Architect) really took me by surprise! I wasn't expecting a vocal track, but I'm very happy to hear one as I've often wondered what new dynamics vocals would bring to Draven's work! The results are an Industrial, Darkwave style track, slightly lower BPM than the others on this album. The vocal talents of The Static Architect needs to be commended as we experience an awesome array of vocal skills. I love it! 

'X-Stacy' (feat. Teknovore), is a gloriously dark progressive, minimal deep Trance affair with touches of Techno. The coupling of dark up tempo beats and Techno style melodies works in perfect harmony, I challenge you not to want to move to this!

‘Redrum 8’ starts, as a gently elevating intertwined melody that progresses with deeper undertones. A solid kick and rising drum succession launches us into a higher state of consciousness. The track encorporates an elaborate acid bass line. Which, evolves and sweeps through to deep and dirty. Powerful kicks smash through the acid bass and when coupled with the more gritty rhythmic bass makes parts of this track particularly heavy. 

We peel away the outer tissue and peer inside the inner workings of the human brain with 'Through The Cerebral Cortex' (feat. We Are Magonia). Our fears are immediately tapped into with sounds of torturous equipment, that provide interesting percussive elements. The dirty Dubstep bass in conjunction with horror ridden synthesised industrial tones create a magnificent tension. A very well constructed soundscape! 

'D3ATH' is aptly named, our soul is ready for collection as distorted church bells ring and faint sounds of ritualistic chanting plague our senses. We are plunged into a sonic abyss where musical boundaries blur and we are thrust into an intense onslaught of thunderous bass, precisely laid drops and distorted synth that paint sounds of a macabre aesthetic. 

Don't be fooled by the introduction to 'Blasphemy' (feat. We Are Magonia), the almost cheerful melody is quickly wiped out of existence by brutal bass and sinister sampled sounds of horror. Syncopated percussion and violent outbursts of bass are at the forefront of this cleanly produced track. Truly powerful moments that weave dark atmospheres and aggressive beats into the Hell filled chasm. 

Just when you thought that insane and macabre night at the 'Massacre Blood Club' was over the DJ has one last, BONUS track, to get you on that dance floor. So, get ready knock back the '777' and prepare to for this Dark Techno, Mid Tempo stomper of a track! Eerily atmospheric yet euphoric in equal measure! There's plenty of groove, glitches and heart pounding kicks that you won't be able to resist moving to!

Overall, Draven's 'Massacre Blood Club' is a ruthless sonic ride! It's overloaded with pounding beats that bleed dirty bass whilst seamlessly blending haunting melodies with fierce beat sequencing. The album immerses listeners into a dark, atmospheric world, where each track feels like a descent into the subconscious depths of the darkest regions of your mind! It's equally compelling as it is terrifying! An immersive experience where listeners are confronted with a gripping fusion of a range of Dark Electronic Music genres resulting in visceral sonic exploration. This album combines elements deeply associated with Darksynth and Horrorsynth genres and injects dangerous doses of adrenaline that mutate it into a hybrid monster out for blood! A series of muderous tracks that must be heard loud in a dark clubbing experience! 

The collaborations and subsequent fine tunings of Draven's repoirture are testament to Draven's mastery of Dark music production. He delivers an unapologetically intense and alluring array of emotions capable of sweeping you away to alternate realms. 'Massacre Blood Club' will resonate with enthusiasts of the darkest depths of electronic music. Enter the lair of Darkness, of beats and movement, of lustful euphoria!

You're welcome inside the "MASSACRE BLOOD CLUB", become one of us.

For More Draven, visit draven1980s.bandcamp.com