The Lightning Kids - All Those Nights

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

The Lightning Kids’ All Of Those Nights binds together mingled nostalgia, hope, passion and melancholy in a potent synthpop brew. I find myself touched and moved by the emotional power of the music as it weaves together threads of synth, guitar and vocal melody.

Direct and expressive songwriting make All Of Those Nights stand out for me. Emma Ballantine and Jonny Spalding are the band’s songwriters and they words they craft are clear, emotive and deliver a strong dose of feeling and heart as they move through the music. I was drawn in by the stories told in the songs.

Emma Ballantine’s voice is another strong aspect of All Of Those Nights. She is able to fill her vocal performances with passion, emotion and energy. I like the way in which she can airily glide or let her voice rise with power as required. I also find Darren McHardie’s guitar performances add richness and depth to the album.

A synth tapestry effectively backs up the strong singing, songwriting and guitar performances. The ways in which the synths interact and create varied tones, sonic textures and instrumental timbres skilfully adds more layered, nuanced sound to the overall package.

My Favourite Songs Analyzed

"Fast Car” comes to life with crackling static, washing water and a radio scanning between stations. Rounded, delicate synth glides in calming, lightly touching waves as solidly pounding retro drums and oscillating bass guide the music. Emma Ballantine's voice is wonderfully tender and airy, carrying an affectionate and heartwarming melody.

Glowing synth swirls around Emma Ballantine's voice as it combines power and emotion. A gently pulsing beat swells behind Emma Ballantine's spoken word monologue and again to push the track on.  Pastel hued synths entangle and the vocals ache with passion and remembrance. The sounds of gentle rain and the full, gleaming synth rising and fading.

Driving all night to leave their town, our narrator talks about how “the stars are out, the music’s up, the windows down.” The two of them are “fire now” as the narrator says they’re 17 in their minds, “a teenage crush.” She mentions the wind in their hair and the “instant rush.” The storyteller says “gotta take me there, just drive me in your car.” She asks the other person to drive her “oh so fast” and ends the song by saying that they’ll never be apart.

A synth choir rises in shining tendrils as the drumbeat grows into the music, rapidly driving to open “Ride.” Leaping, bright synth forms an energizing melodic pattern as Emma Ballantine's breathy, expressive voice carries a melody brimming with uplifting feelings. A tangling, glittering synth accent doubles the drum and bass pulse.

The shining synth melody has an angular quality as Darren McHardie’s strumming acoustic guitar effectively adds a more organic feeling as Emma Ballantine’s voice exudes emotion.

An undulating, nasal-sounding synth pattern is cut by shimmering metallic chimes followed by an electric guitar singing a melody that hurts and aspires as jangling, rounded synth arpeggiates.

Driving into the darkness is where our narrator finds herself, riding next to the song’s subject as they “drive through the night, like we used to do.” They’re speeding but nobody can see them so “this night is for you and me.”

As they drive in the night, their headlights are on the sea. The narrator speaks of “shadows in the night, where you used to be.” She says she’s a bit lost and “running on memories.” The storyteller only imagines that the other person is with her as she out on the road.

“California” starts off as a phone rings and broadly glittering arpeggios flow.  A rebounding, dynamic beat explodes along with throbbing bass that drives the music. Emma Ballantine's voice is pleasingly warm and full of dreaming as quick synth flashes in with sunny light.

Emma Ballantine’s voice carries a melancholy melody leavened with optimism. Quick synth sparkles ripple while hard-hitting drums and active bass shift. The chorus is full of tender light and massive drums pound  as sparkles flit through the music. Emma Ballantine's voice cascades above the  glimmering synth as it trickles through and silence falls.

Our storyteller asks the song’s subject to shut their eyes and tell her something “just like when we were young.” She adds to say that she hasn’t seen the sun since the other person left California. Instead she’s been “killing time, filling up my mind” as she considers what the song’s subject said.

Now the narrator explains that she’s been “down every road in town, trying to get you outta my head.” The song ends on an answering machine message telling the other person that she misses them and wants them to call her at some point.

Waves splash while crystalline chimes rapidly shine and electric guitar flares to open “Cool.” Emma Ballantine's voice carries a dynamic melody and funky guitar strums in. Lightly tapping drums guide the music along with rich bass. The lead synth is elevated and shiny as it flutters and Emma Ballantine's lush voice carries a passionate, life-filled melody.

The guitar strums in while full, low synth adds deep resonance and the drums and bass drive. Darren McHardie’s intricate, jazz-inflected guitar solo twirls and floats out, played with skill. while Raised synth radiates above energetically bursting drums and bass as Emma Ballantine's strong voice repeats and silence falls.

Every Friday night our narrator goes dancing and spots the song’s subject “in the corner, underneath the lights.” When she gets close to the other person, she says her heart stops beating, it’s like “my 808 repeating 1982.”

She goes on to say “baby, you’re so cool” and adds that when the other person looks at her “darling it’s so cruel.” It is between them and no one else can see. Now our storyteller talks about going driving late at night and being transported in time “when I see you in the window.”

As the song ends, our narrator talks about her heartbeat stopping when they’re close and “my head it is reeling by everything you do. “

“Closer” commences as pastel background sounds are touched by glistening chimes. An echoing vocal sound calls out as trembling notes shift. Now the drumbeat throbs actively and chimes twinkle delicately as the two singers’ voices interlock and flow out.

Now vocals rise in a shining cloud above the driving drumbeat and solid bass as metallic, glowing synth notes ring out. I enjoy the way in which our two singers mingle their strong voices in a hopeful melody as wide-open, floating synth calls out.

The song’s drum and bass heartbeat throbs on to shape the music. Both singers pour feeling into their voices as rapid synth notes flicker and open voiced synth cries out airily. Trembling synth oscillates and the drums pulse on.

The narrators speak in unison asking if they each got a little closer to one another. They both ask if “all of those nights I lay by your side” brought them a bit closer together. The two of them speak about how “I get a little older when you put your head on my shoulder.”

They wonder if all the nights on which each the other’s light it brought them “a little closer.” Both them wonder if after all of their “dancing, walking, crying and laughing” along with all of the chances they used, they ever got to one another.

Slowly bending synth flows and Emma Ballantine's lush, airy voice carries a hurting melody to open “Magnets.” Hollow background synth tumbles through while mournful feelings permeate the song and low bass throbs. Emma Ballantine’s voice is full of deep feeling as it carries the fragile melody.

Bass rebounds and guitar unfurls in warm, resonant lines as loss fills the vocals. I enjoy Emma Ballantine’s touching expression as Darren McHardie’s guitar carries a tender melodic pattern. The gentle background throb pulses onward and the reverent synths climb and glow with light before ending on a flowing synth.

“Close your eyes and count to ten” is what our narrator wants the song’s subject to do, along with taking a breath before talking again. She says that all they do is scream at each other as “this love has turned us inside out.”  The narrator can’t stop herself from doubting and adds that “forces that we can’t see” are in action on them both.

The storyteller speaks of bruises on her heart that make her feel unable to breathe. They are like magnets that repel and attract and “we clash until we’re black and blue.” Her bad habits pull her back to the song’s subject “like gravity.”

Now she wants to return to the time they met as “strangers playing hard to get.” The blood rushing in her veins takes her over once more. She concludes by saying “Here I go again, I can’t stay away. Here we go again, hold me like back then.”

“All Of Those Nights” is a stripped down variation on “Closer” with the lyrics and melody at the forefront to showcase caressing sound and delicacy. Rising synths run together to create a soothing, settling musical environment for the full richness and depth of Emma Ballantine's voice to be captured.

The stripped down nature of the music allows the emotional expression to show through without too much adornment. The open-voiced, slowly flowing synth has a mournful feeling and the whole song is full of melancholy and tremulous feelings.

Medium-low, hazily shining synth waves lap against the smoky warmth of Emma Ballantine's voice to begin “Motel.” The vocal melody has a pained quality to it as the guitar briefly touches the music. Emma Ballantine's voice fills the song with intensity as softly lapping synth waves move along with the floating, fading guitar.

Soft tambourine sounds touch the music and over it all, the vocals effectively capture the expression in the lyrics with honesty. The background sounds are tinged with light.

Drums shape and drive the music, adding life and motion below Emma Ballantine's voice. The guitar ripples and intertwines before the song moves back into the gentler segment and the drumbeat kicks in again. The guitar sings out to capture more emotion before fading on synth whorls.

The storyteller muses that she’s unsure of what drew her to her current place but says it is some sort of crisis. She’s unsure if she could “be anyone (or) do anything” where she is. Our narrator goes on to say that she doesn’t dance but “I heard a beat, had to move my body, move my feet.”  In that moment, she freed herself and was another person.

Now the narrator finds herself in an old motel, near to the city. It is a “tiny room with a single bed.” It’s a room that has no view which is “the perfect place to forget you.” She locks her door and points out that she wants to get back “before the night comes down” as she doesn’t know that town.

Our storyteller says that “they could do anything here” and she trusts no one, However one night she went out and “fell into a stranger’s bed.” As the song ends, she points out that it isn’t like her and “it was therapy and I was free.”

Conclusion

All Those Nights is an ear-pleasing synthpop voyage that manages to create nostalgia without relying on clichéd ‘80s tropes. There’s an emotional power and expressive strength to the album that allows it to explore the fractured terrain of the human heart effectively.

Strike Eagle - Operation Mjölnir

Artwork by Andy Hay

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Strike Eagle’s Operation Mjölnir radiates the spirit of an ‘80s air combat movie with soaring melodies, dramatic emotional depth and unstoppable energy. It showcases Strike Eagle’s talents along with a host of other equally talented musical guests who really get in on the atmosphere that permeates the album.

Majestic, powerful and exciting melodies are a strong component of Operation Mjölnir. The melodies are dramatic, intense and full of energy as they unfold against a backdrop of thunderous percussion and gigantic bass. I also find the gentler love songs compelling and heartfelt on the album.

All of the guest artists on Operation Mjölnir bring more depth and performance quality to the album. Ben Higgins’ guitar work is first rate and contributes a great deal to the energy and retro atmosphere of the album along with Olly Knight-Smith’s playing on “Music Comes Alive.”

Tim Capello’s colossal, gutsy sax performance adds more ‘80s spirit. Mandi Harkett’s soulful vocals and lyrics deepen the emotional content of the album and Syst3m Glitch’s production adds finesse. I also must mention BLOODPANIC’s gritty, jagged synth work on “Extraction.”

In many instances the term “cinematic” is badly misused. In the case of this album, I think it is spot on. The musical elements combine to create intense imagery and moving emotion. There’s a level of entertaining bombast and energy that permeates each track and gives it the feeling of an over the top ‘80s action flick (in a great way.)

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Cold Start” comes to life as sharply slipping sounds are broken by a huge, rapid drum pulse echoing along with gentle tapping. A bell rings out and solid bass oscillates as it is underpinned by militaristic, flourishing drums.

Trumpeting synth sings out a rousing melody that feels noble and melancholy in equal measure. Delicate higher synth floats and powerful drums pulse and rebound. The melody is enjoyably deep with emotion as bells ring and drums throb. Rounded notes float out in a bright line before silence falls.

Punchy drums swirl and rebound above solidly throbbing bass before Ben Higgins' guitar leaps out in a bending, gritty line as “Feel The Burn” opens. Strike Eagle’s vocals jump in with energizing strength carrying a dynamic melody full of propulsion.

The guitar slashes out along with a gleaming synth trickling high above it and the drums and bass rocket on. Ben Higgins’ guitar solo is thrilling as it screams and howls before the hard-edged vocals drive and battering drums pound.

The chorus rises with combative energy as the guitar cuts with ferocious energy while rippling high synth accents it. The guitar takes a heart-pounding journey over the strings, whirling out in wild abandon. A radio communication moves in and the guitar slices powerfully as the vocal melody bursts with strength and life.

Pure combative speed and power fill the lyrics as our narrator tells the pilot that its time to “spool up your turbine get your engines hot” and to push the throttle forward and “show ‘em what you’ve got.” He points out that it is the pilot’s opportunity to do battle and “dominate the sky.” As they are facing off, there’s no time for him to think so he should “fly on instinct, better take your shot."

It is a case of man versus machine and the narrator urges the pilot not to miss his chance. He needs to focus because it is the time to do or die. He encourages the pilot to “get in the fight and fly for your life.” Now he talks about how the pilot must feel the burn because “you’re gonna light up the fire so that they will learn.”

The storyteller says that the pilot will “race it to the top” and his enemies will know it. He speaks of lighting the fire and pushing the plane to afterburn. He adds that his enemies are going to “feel the burn” in their combat.

Now he describes the pilot locking eyes with the enemy so he can start “circle turning” to get his sights on his opponent to make them “rue the day.” The narrator speaks of this as the pilot’s “battle cry” which gives the enemy “no chance to run” as he’s got a taste for the fight now. It is time to “pull the trigger, feel the rockets ignite.” The pilot is told that he’ll be dominant and that the enemy’s life is “in short supply.”

Our storyteller speaks of how the pilot will turn and burn as he stands alone “with screaming wings downturned.” He asks the pilot to take over the plane as it Is “hunt or be hunted.” The pilot will “align, spool up the engine” and feel two worlds combining. He has to clear his mind because “you’re flying for your life.”

“Music Comes Alive” starts as funky drums and bass create a groove below Tim Capello’s fat-sounding, impassioned sax that growls intently. Mandi Harkett’s smoothly flowing vocals carry a caressing vocal melody with ear-pleasing soul.

Drums pulsate as brass leaps to accent Mandi Harkett's gliding, rich voice. Tim Capello’s sax is full of pleasing, reedy grit as the drums keep popping while the sensuous vocals are expressive.

The chorus has a gliding quality and brass shines, supported by funky bass and a guiding drumbeat. Tim Capello lets loose with a leaping sax solo that is full of jazzy energy and bursting power. Mandi Harkett’s vocals move with inspiring as drums keep up their pulse. The whole track ends on deep musical joy.

Our tale’s teller speaks of the night falling as it is “clear we’re meant to be” even in a “crowd of uncertainty.” She says that they won’t deny the rhythm “to take control.” The melody brings them together as the tempo begins to captivate them, feeling “in time, set to our heart rate.”

Now the storyteller says it is time to stop being afraid and crying because "all that’s left is you and I, transformed by this beat that helps us fly.” She calls for the two of them to “revive as the music comes alive.” Any conversation is drowned by the sound that “hits the floor and stuns the walls.”

They have left their insecurities behind them. At the moment they “thought the dark was here to stay” stars came to shine their light on them. As the music rises in the club, she calls out to the song’s subject that they should “take a chance in our dance and make these flames go higher.” They need to build up and grab the “unreachable dreams we desire.”

Now the narrator talks about the perfect harmony made for them as they are “transformed by this beat that helps us fly.” She calls on them to bring things back to life and “drive to the dreams that we share” which are not as distant as they once thought.

Charging drums and cascading guitar that is immediately irrepressible kick off “Hard Target.” The drums splash in as Ben Higgins’ guitar snarls and the rocking chorus climbs. Strike Eagle’s voice is full of deep strength and energy while the drums rush along with controlled power.

Ben Higgins’ guitar has a razor edge and while bursting drums and driving bass keep rocketing onward. Strike Eagle's vocal melody is inspiring and full of intensity as the guitar flies out in a hammering, twisting solo that evokes a screaming jet in a dogfight. Again the vocals soar upward, full of drama as the drumbeat relentlessly pulsates.

The narrator talks about the pilot getting into his aircraft and how he will “commune with the infinite” because it is his reason to take flight. He describes how the pilot will “lacerate” as the plane tears through the air and how he will reach upward “flying high on screaming eagle wings to fight.”

Now the storyteller describes the pilot as a “hard target” moving through the night and how it will be “ingress to hard target.” He is going to “own the skies tonight.” He says that the pilot will go in free of emotion and anticipating. He adds that “there is ice in your veins, thinking fast and acting faster.” He makes no mistakes as he is “breaking the chains.”

Our narrator describes the pilot “going long and flying hard” to feel the speed that night. He will be “flying high on wings of steel” as he moves into the battle space.

"Break The Prison” starts as overwhelmingly powerful drums collide and elevated, distorted sounds sweep into wide open space. A scattered synth trembles and rushing sound moves along with flashing, ominous brass.

Yearning strings add a dark resonance before brass calls out with dramatic intent above the thundering drums. Trumpeting notes climb and add intensity before they subside in a rush. Drama and danger permeate this track to effectively add even more tension to it.

Razor-edged, jagged synth pulses cut into the track and pounding, dense percussion drives them into an angular, jumping motion to open “Extraction.” Above them, rounded notes flow and now intense, minor key orchestral sounds create a darkly victorious sonic rush.

Stuttering, grunting synth pulses slash while smooth arpeggios twirl and a brass section sings an intriguing melody rich with danger and majesty. BLOODPANIC’s clotted, growling synth throbs in a rushing line before moving into a slower segment in which nasal, medium low synth begins accelerates into a tumbling pattern.

Drums accelerate with ferocity before slowing into a gigantic, towering synth pulse. Percussion batters and a howling sonic maelstrom and a dark vocal sample are shattered by heavily pulsating, sharp edged synth.

“Muninn Flight” comes to life as a bell rings out and shadowy bass swirls and oscillates. Creaking, groaning guitar rises as the heavy blackness intertwines below. Ben Higgins’ guitar carries a melody that aches and trembles with feeling as it moves above shaping drums and powerful bass.

The guitar melody becomes elegiac before a warmer tone fills it. I am drawn to the guitar’s bluesy howl. Drums thunder again and the guitar calls out with a more upbeat and noble feeling while brighter notes swell underneath.

Orchestral backing adds to the intense life pouring from the guitar as it unfurls with a lush tone. Drums form a guiding motion as a smoothly rippling arpeggio twirls and guitar dances in intricately interlocking lines. The umbra below the other musical elements adds threat. As the track ends, the tragic and inspiring main melody climbs to the skies on gleaming guitar.

Speeding bass drives onward as massive retro drums throb to begin “Wings Of Your Heart.” Enfolding, glowing synth carries a gently encouraging melody. Strike Eagle’s deeply resonant voice carries a melody intense with dreaming joy as panpipes flutter airily.

Strike Eagle''s vocal is deeply felt while huge drums touch the music. A keyboard flashes with hopeful light as the guitar cries out, equally full of passion and emotion. The uplifting melody is supported by fluttering panpipes as the retro percussion and bass rush on.

The way in which the music exudes positive emotion is satisfying. Drums burst broadly and chimes glow as the keyboard spins out a warming and energizing melody. A sense of dreamy light flows from the music as drums dance. The chorus flies out on Strike Eagle’s emotive and uplifting voice before the song drives to an end.

The story’s teller asks if the song’s subject remembers walking into his life with “the look in your eyes mesmerizing.” He says that he can’t believe his eyes when he looks at the other person’s face and “that smile (that) can make me soar.” He points out that they get him and that he’s been set free as they “floor me (with your laugh) just like you did.”

In the chorus, our narrator talks about the song’s subject “with your red plaid shirt and those two-tone eyes.” As the other person smiles, he talks about it being paradise and adds, “What a way to start! You're a work of art!”

The narrator explains that the spark igniting at “the karaoke bar where we spent the night” never felt as right as it does now. He adds that they were “a world apart” and that the other person kick-started him “on the wings of your heart.”

He describes the other person as “the adorable nerd I love with all of my heart.” He talks about how the other person is enchanting when they dance. He wonders why it is that the song’s subject wants to spend their life with him.

Their “flame burns bright” together and the other person will “soothe my soul” as they hold him and “shine brightly (in our world.)” He talks about how they illuminate him with their spark “just like the night.”

As the song comes to an end, the narrator says “I hold you close tonight, the magic is still alive, you take my breath away.”

Conclusion

Operation Mjölnir bursts at the seams with exuberant energy as it unfolds in a rush of melodic power, grand emotion and filmic imagery. My main criteria for judging an album is the entertainment quotient and this album delivers on that score in a huge way!

Eva X - I Dream Of A Reality

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Eva X’s I Dream of a Reality is a lacerating, powerful album that explores dark and sometimes challenging emotions and ideas, leavened by hope and inspiration. Eva X’s unique, wide-ranging voice combines with strong lyrics and a hard-edged sonic palette to deliver a musical gut punch that makes an intense impression on me each time I listen to it.

One of the most compelling aspects of I Dream Of A Reality is Eva X’s voice. She can gently seduce with it but it can also cut like a razor. Whether she is delicately breathing the vocals or crying out in defiance, her vocal abilities capture all of the emotion that radiates from the words she has written.

Lyrically speaking, I Dream Of A Reality delivers for me. There’s a mixture of social commentary, deep emotional expression and moments of engaging inspiration. The words are chosen carefully and fall with strong impact. I enjoy the directness of Eva X’s writing along with her ability to lay her emotions bare.

The relentless aggression of the album’s music only adds to the dramatic energy that fills the vocals and lyrics. There are jagged synth edges, void-deep bass and battering percussion that punch each song home. I also appreciate the way in which gentler elements in the music create a strong contrast that only makes the album work more effectively.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“Whipping Girl” commences as raised, rebounding synth echoes out, rising and falling in volume. Pounding drums drive with forceful motion above a flowing synth background. Eva X's voice is emotive and shadowed, carrying a sharp-edged vocal melody above throbbing drums and angular bass.

Eva X's voice snarls in a way that effectively delivers strong vocals and defiant lyrics. A dark drum and bass surge seethes along with creaking, gritty synth before Eva X's voice echoes again. Cutting notes slash and the drumbeat snaps as massive synth surges. Rich, ringing notes roam and slowly whirling, glowing arpeggios spin above hollow drums. The song ends on the pumping beat and Eva X's powerful voice.

This song examines an escape from society’s need to objectify women and diminish their sense of being. The narrator begins by saying “we’re in the dark with hollow hearts.” She asks the song’s subject if they look into the crowd when she’s not around. She tells the other person that they have it all as she is like their “living doll” and she gives them “pictures for your trophy wall, pussy on a pedestal.”

Now the storyteller asks the other person if they really see her. She points out that “dead girls still dream” and adds that the song subject’s love isn’t ever what it seems to be. When she gets free she won’t be the other person’s “whipping girl.” Her comment is that love is not the drug and “the pain’s just blood” so she’s reached the end and “your ride is done.”

Our narrator says she is the song subject’s excuse for being used and asks them how they can keep their head clear “with that poison in your ear.” She points out that the other person is “throwing blame” and says that her “inconvenient thoughts” are in their way in terms of “doing who you want.”

Again she asks if the other person can see her because “your love is never really what it seems when I'm free.”  As the song ends, she asks finally if the other person sees her “breaking and mean.”

Heaving, crackling bass supports elevated chimes shining in a tenuous melody as “Body Talk” begins. Massive drums pulsate and Eva X's voice is touching and resonant as it carries pained emotion.

Ethereal choral synth glides while the colossal drums burst and a guitar cries out with gritty energy. Eva X's sensuous voice calls out before the song slips into a segment in which the drums drop out and glimmering synth stars flare. The muffled drumbeat grows into full strength again.

Now the vocals are caressing while shining synth tendrils unfurl, drums tick lightly and then heave again. The guitar cuts through in gruff lines and drums break as distant voices shift.  Eva X's voice bursts in staccato lines as the thudding kick drum smashes and the vocals bring the song to an end along with fluttering digital sounds.

This song explores an emergence from inside a self-imposed exile as the narrator speaks of how she locks her feelings inside alongside the “scars hiding under my skin.” She says that the song’s subject with a single touch can “pull me open” and make her feel something new. She adds that “I fall for you.”

Now the narrator speaks of how the other person will “touch me, hold me, see me, feel me” as she asks them to let their body talk to her. She repeats her desire to be touched, held, seen and felt but also adds “heal me” to the list.

When they kiss, the other person’s lips “light me up inside like I knew you my past life.” Their eyes on her drawn her into the light. She asks the other person to kiss her awake because she doesn’t want to wait any more. As their “bodies intertwine, we dance out in the night.” This is a new love and she wants to give it a try. The song ends as she says “hold me, take me high.”

“MACHINE” opens with unevenly throbbing drums and surging, blunt synth that jams forward. Eva X's voice flows with darkness as angry, lacerating synths stutter. Clotted, surging synth batters again as Eva X's shadowy voice moves.

Medium-high, gleaming synth writhes above cutting drums and thick synth. I enjoy the moment of calm injected by a fragile synth intertwining before huge drums shatter again. Triumphant synth howls out and Eva X's vocals echo above distorted, surprisingly gentle notes. Colossal drums and weighty bass collide and pulse on to a conclusion.

This song examines the dangers of a broad societal drive for physical perfection. The storyteller speaks of how she wants skin that never makes her “feel inadequate” along with a body that doesn’t age and the ability to "walk into a room and have all eyes on me.” Ultimately she wants “the beauty…the symmetry.”

There is a dark craving to take out a knife and “cut a line to fix a part of me” and undergo a transformation that is “so close I could touch.” She can hear a voice from outside and within whisper as she speaks of deconstructing herself to “turn into a dream.” Our narrator talks about taking a needle to herself to make a “better me.”

Now she wants someone to “connect, remake, erase (and) correct) her as she wonders if “when I’m a beautiful machine” the other person will “love, love me.” The storyteller says that she wants to be “a very friendly sort of dangerous” that keeps people guess if she is with them or not. She speaks of hiding “a razor in your pretty little fantasy” that will kill off her humanity.

Ultimately she wants to keep her feelings locked away before she will “delete them in the deep” to kill the woman inside her and “make a better me.”

Scraping metal sounds rattle along with old school modem sounds and moaning to start “Your Kind.” Eva X's voice is sensual and smooth as the heavy drumbeat pounds. A broad distortion fills the vocals and the drums and bass have a swaying, sinuous motion.

Eva X effectively imbues her voice with lush expression as drums batter and cymbals hiss. Raised, twisting synth snakes through the music as tapping percussion moves. A distorted synth howls out in a lacerating melody, taut and cascading. Eva X's vocals are distorted before they move into silence.

Our storyteller enticingly asks the song’s subject if they want to play a game. She promises to keep them entertained as she loves to “hear you say more, more, more.” She is always available and as long as the other person keeps the money coming, she’ll make their day. The narrator will be their “fantasy, blow your mind” as both their dream and their lie.

Now the storyteller tells the song’s subject that “I wanna be your kind.” She tells them that she’ll be there for them and they can call her, even late at night. She makes it clear that “I'll never love you but I'll blow your mind.” She asks them if they want a picture of her “in and out of lingerie” because she wants them to keep coming back.

Keeping the song subject gazing at her is something she likes along with keeping the money flowing to her. She knows the other person wonders “if it's worth your dime” but reminds them that “I'll never love you but I'll blow your mind. I’ll be your kind.”

“Broken Wings” opens as harsh, high piano notes move in uneven, aching patterns. Eva X's voice is delicate, airy and full of feeling as angular bass pulsates with crushing weight. Vocals slip and slide while the piano trickles through. Shifting bass shadows move while string-like sounds resonate.

Eva X emotes strongly as digital-sounding, string-like arpeggios shiver through the music. The piano yearns and hurts in a way that deepens the emotion in the vocals. Pain and need fill Eva X's voice as pounding drums and heavily oscillating bass throb

Churning, twirling strings spin and vocals tremble as the song unfolds. Rounded, creaking synths rise into the track as  drums break while wobbling bass vibrates. Again hectic arpeggios whirl madly and the whole track churns to an end.

The storyteller speaks of feeling blinded and encircled by outside forces as she says that “I don’t have much else to surrender.” She can feel pressure building in her head as she asks,“What was it that someone gentle said?” She recalls that it was the fact that “ambition will never be your friend.

Our narrator says the perfect life she is leading is killing her and she realizes that “I let you down, I’m fading out. Set me free.” Voices whisper to her as they say “hush, fall down” and ask to be let free. She says that she’ll never “feel a thing” as she fades into obscurity as a “saint with broken wings.”

Now the narrator shuts her eyes and allows everything to wash away. She concludes by saying that, as she is “collapsing, crashing down from grace” she finds the sorrow on her face hard to bear.

Slowly trembling synth gently moves into open space along with Eva X's caressing, fragile vocals to begin “Hear The Silence.” The vocal melody is tentative as a jagged synth briefly slices through. Gigantic drums throb along with thick bass, slashed by a gruff synth blade.

The vocals grow in strength and feeling as crackling synth roars. Piano flits in rapidly dancing arpeggios over hard-edged drums that burst more broadly now as the arpeggio keeps unfurling.

Eva X's voice is wonderfully distinctive and resonant while massive drums crash below in a tide of wild energy. Far off, distorted piano cascades unevenly into open space.  The vocals rise with poise, power and depth as a  growling synth tides smashes before silence falls.

“Breathe in, breathe out” is how our storyteller starts the song as she speaks of the “dead quiet, once so loud” as her world tumbles down and she breathes in. She goes on to talk about how “no one is looking right now” so she can be herself alone.

Now the narrator feels “the sun on my skin” and the stillness for which she fought. She says that her heart is still beating inside of her and “this is where I begin.” Again she inhales and exhales as “my world it slowly falls down” and the tears she cries become “my crown” as she inhales again.

“Tear Down These Walls” kicks off as slightly distorted, radiant synth moves in staccato bursts above gleaming synth. Roaring guitar, attacking drums and snarling bass merge into a crushing wall. Eva X's voice is full of emotion and defiance, carrying the soaring vocal melody.

Luminous arpeggios slowly undulate as heavy drums shatter and seething bass rumbles. The chugging guitar drives along with battering drums. I am drawn to the ferocity in Eva X's voice as the raging guitar surges and the guttural bass charges.

The vocals soar upward above rippling arpeggios and heavily pounding drums while a fragile flute drifts. Eva X's vocals climb and fly out over the massive strength underneath them. The song ends on the inspiring chorus as it flies out over the seething below it.

This song is a message of defiance and resurgence. The storyteller begins by saying that when she was a girl she saw “infinity, future flying high” until the embodied forces of oppression tried to “hide me in your shadow” and force her to choose “body or my mind.”

Our narrator talks about how there’s a “label with my name” imposed by these outside forces that pushes her to either be “a beauty or a thinking thing” like a marionette on their strings until she cuts them.

Now she calls for tearing down “these walls brick by brick” as she raises her flag “bit by bit.” She says that there’s a fire burning and hopes that it will “slowly light the way.” Again she talks about tearing the walls down and this time says that “I am the fire and I know I’ll find my way.”

The storyteller is done with “living as your target” and having to push off groping hands and “take your demands.” She is going to rewrite the old rules, rip apart the oppressor’s logic as she starts “blowing up the scene, breaking the machine."

High synth flutters and unbelievably low bass shudders to open “Machine (Adoration Destroyed Remix).” Eva X's vocals move above snapping drums while the bass vibrates through my whole body. Tremendously heavy guitar moves with pleasingly intimidating weight below Eva X's vocals.

Rattling percussion and crushing bass add to the remix’s darkness while the guitar tears at the listener’s ears in raging notes. The track floats into a lighter section before the ferocious low end rips forth. Eva X's fragmented voice moves out above dancing, smooth synth notes while the bass and heavy drumbeat hit again. Colossal guitar growls above Stygian bass and silence falls.

“Control (SPANKTHENUN Remix)” comes into life as blaring, brassy synth grits out along with a rushing medium-low synth oscillation and gigantic bass. The drums punch with violent weight and Eva X's vocals are twisted but full of superb expression.

Blunt drums and directly hitting bass stutter as Eva X's vocals are given added strength and emphasis by their distortion. Hammering drums and huge bass strike with tremendous force.

A high, ringing sound trembles out above the drum and bass brutality that breaks below. After a digital ripple, the song’s low end attacks and Eva X's voice chants out above it while a steady, elevated sound flickers. The track ends on guttural weight and snarling power.

Conclusion

I Dream Of A Reality combines emotional vulnerability, anger and darkness with Eva X’s distinctive voice and well-crafted lyrics. I enjoy the way in which her music engages me and keeps me coming back to listen again.

Leifendeth -Monument: Fifteen Years of Life and Death

Review by Karl Magi

Overall Album Impressions

Leifendeth’s Monument: Fifteen Years of Life and Death is a showcase of his darkly terrifying, ferociously powerful music. It explores his music in all of its horrific, crushing depth and gives other artists a chance to interpret the music in their own unique manner.

Monument’s most undeniable feature is the sheer, monstrous shadow that emanates from every element of the music. The bass is staggeringly huge, the drums are relentless and the synths all snarl, scream and crackle. Taken as a whole, all of these sonic elements combine to form music that tears one’s throat out as it explores bleak emotional terrain.

Another aspect to Monument which I enjoy is the way in which the guest remixers on the album reinterpret Leifendeth’s music. They each take the music in different directions which suit their individual style while retaining the elements in the original music that make it effective and powerful. It is encouraging to see collaborative musical creation that is so respectful of the source material.

I also have a great deal of respect for Leifendeth’s uncompromising musical vision. He has continued to refine his dark, aggressive and massive sound while exploring different aspects of that sound to grow and reach out in new directions. He’s stayed true to his instincts and allowed them to guide him.

My Favourite Tracks Analyzed

“The Human Error (acid rain remix)” starts off as a high, tremulous static crackle echoes out and razor-edged synth cuts. Powerful bass trembles in massive blocks as crackling sounds move. Kick drum creates an insistent beat and metallic sounds form a tapping, percussive pattern as the bass growls far below.

The rhythm rushes forward as gigantic sonic blocks climb and descend with muscled strength. Hollow synth leaps in slowly rippling lines and gritty bass rises and falls. Pipe-like, digital synth carries a dynamic, shadowy melody as creaking notes slash. Bursting drums accent slow sound as medium-low synth oscillates and hard-hitting kick drum throbs.

A wandering, swirling synth pattern asserts itself, accented by a single, delicate high note. Forceful weight and propulsive power drive on as synth slabs climb and descend. I am drawn to the way in which this music that hammers on with unstoppable force. Darkness flows and a pipe instrument drives on in an angular melodic pattern.

Now agitated bass wriggles and kick drum punches. Slow, heavy drums form a different rhythm as ethereal sounds trail above them. Giant synth blocks undulate before higher, airy synth intertwines and the kick drum batters. Bass grits and rumbles as a vocal sample speaks of greater outside intelligences watching us.

Rough-edged, distorted sound rises to a peak and a quickly tapping drumbeat pushes “Dreamlike (winds of fate mix)” forward as it begins. The percussion forms an addictive pulse below the airy notes that effectively contrast with the track’s heavy elements.

Trembling, shivering synth shakes in as a whispered, dark chant drifts through the music. Medium-high, sinister synth winds in a minor key pattern as Leifendeth’s whispered lyrics add threat while drums and bass drive. A misty, intertwining segment flickers along with ticking drums. Energetic motion defines the drums as pulsing, flanging synth spins.

The soundstage sweeps across stereo channels and thin synth undulates rapidly before Leifendeth’s dark vocals hiss. Underneath the other musical elements, the drumbeat is unending and speeds faster as a sharp, vibrating synth rises and falls in a thin line. The chanting continues while danger radiates from the jagged background’s edges.

“Lost Future (voltage mix)” opens as a cymbal clashes once and menacing, massive bass oscillates slowly. Crunchy, gruff synth pulses as clean drums press the music on along with a tight, distorted synth line. A hi hat comes adds shape to the music while evil, Stygian sounds heave and taut, medium-high synth adds a nervous element. Terrified sounding, higher synth moves in as drums collide and keep the track’s motion going.

Very high, gleaming synth notes revolve to increase nervousness, Now drums take on a slower, stuttering motion as rounded, twisting sounds flit through the track while angular bass claws at the ears. The drums drop off until just the hi hat remains. A sense of lurking terror effectively fills the bass sounds in this track.

Writhing higher synth drops through, doubling down on the music’s dangerous feeling. Raised synth repeats, cascading through the track with an agitated feeling. Digital stars twinkle and a vocal sample adds even more shadow as tremulous, sinuous synth winds and drums collide before silence falls.

Bubbling bass moves in roiling pulses before rapidly thumping kick drum pounds in to open “Blast Furnace.” Lacerating synth comes in above a flying, tumbling drumbeat and a twitching, broad sound that spins in sinuous patterns.

I enjoy the way in which this track charges forward in a blur of motion as drums flash and speed on with wild energy through the music. Crushing bass walls seethe and mournful strings wind as rounded, gleaming synth flares in a slowly shifting pattern.

Drums rocket the music onward while a melancholy synth pattern repeats lugubriously in contrast with ferociously rushing percussion. A bass wall assaults the ears with portentous energy and glittering, sharp-edged synth shimmers. Harshly pulsating bass agitates below ethereal higher sounds before the track ends.

“Beta Four” commences as solidly bass impacts the music while gritty, snarling synth slices ferociously and drums strike. Shifting, lacerating synth swirls through above the smashing drumbeat as oscillating, raised synth calls out with intensity.

Continual, insistent synth motion becomes hypnotic in way that draws me in. The track fades into a more distant drumbeat as intimidating bass flows. Speeding, looming synth dominates the track as rushes in a raging, sweeping tide.

The drum storm rushes unabated as high synth bounces. The grit fades down and rippling, cascading synth tangles. Crunchy synth is forced on by huge drums while twisting notes whirl hypnotically. The track ends on pumping synth and guttural sound.

An extremely high synth flares up with thrumming tension as it moves into vast open space to kick off “Narrow Escapism.” Tumbling, racing bass is slashed by higher notes, wonderfully expressing barely suppressed horror as the drumbeat blurs.

Raised synth quickly moves with tight fear as it joins chimes that flutter above the unstoppable drum and bass rage. Broad, angular synth undulates in time to the hurricane force drums and punching bass. Wide synth chords rise and fall before medium-low, dangerous sounding synth repeats a trance-inducing melodic pattern.

This track is characterized by speed and a sense of ever approaching doom as it ceaselessly advances. Raised synth sounds have a distinctly worried quality as towering, dark chords add dramatic tension to the track before it ends.

“The Human Error (Baying Ridges remix)” starts as distant static crackle grows in strength and gigantic, dully glowing synth blocks shift. Terrifying bass depths rumble underneath steadily crackling static. Haunted, high sounds float through the seething sonic wall that feels increasingly menacing.

Raised sounds flow, overwhelmed by the crushing bass as it reaches out with twisted tentacles. Taut sounds shiver above the darkness gliding out below them, sweeping through the music. Hollow, writhing notes make their way through the unfurling shadows around them. I enjoy the sense of impending danger that fills this track to the brim.

There is something deeply unsettling, but strangely soothing here. I sense something evil lurking in the gentleness to lure the unsuspecting. Open sounds vibrate before wind flows and fades into silence.

Flaring, open-voiced synth shakes as a vocal sample adds a darkly commanding tone to begin “Violent Awakening (instrumental version).” Rattling darbuka percussion forms a tapping beat as a lacerating synth becomes a driving pulse, tearing through the music. Kick drum and pulsating bass throw the track forward with deadly force.

Synth slabs roar in heavy chords to increase the angry power in the music. Broad, medium-high synth follows along with the pounding drumbeat.  Rumbling, hollow bass makes a muffled grunt that swells to full volume as the gigantic synth blocks shift and the drumbeat smashes on.

There’s something darkly pleasurable about the unceasing motion in this track. Chest punching synth bounces in time to the drumbeat before massive sonic blocks drop heavily again. Wide synth joins the drumbeat’s oppressive force and dangerous energy. The track continues to throb onward with great power to throb on before flowing into silence.

“Aftershock (2007 demo)” opens as wildly writhing, high synth is split by quickly pulsating, lower sounds.  Rapidly oscillating bass is joined by speeding drums to create terrifying forward motion. Very high, tense sound howls above an accelerating drum and bass onslaught. Snarling higher sounds move above the drum and bass pulse’s bruising speed.

Chanting vocals do a great job of adding a sense of doomed rage to the track. Nasal, distorted synth squelches above tripping drums and bass that race through the music. Leifendeth’s voice chants messages of despair and dissolution.

Sonic blades cut in broad swathes as the track gallops forward with unabated anger. A quick synth shivers as drums burst and bass slams. Colossal sounds surround Leifendeth’s bleak voice that promises utter destruction. The whole track undulates and rockets forward to an end.

Elevated, nervous sounds cry out and guttural bass slowly throbs to start “Spiral of Silence (2009 demo).” Shaking sounds tremble and Buddhist chanting adds a ritualistic aspect to the track.

Bass drops into cavernous depths as it moves across the stereo field in an uneven pulsation while metallic sounds hiss. I am enamoured of the way in which the track’s sounds move around between channels, creating a sense of encirclement. Jagged sonic fragments create a dizzying sensation while tense synth trembles.

Ominous notes move in a slowly slicing motion while thick bass jumps below them. The stereo field encircles me like a dark halo as the sounds wrap around. Gritty bass is joined by slowly heaving synth and a wriggling, uneasy sound.  Drums and bass spiral before the track ends on quickly pulsing sound.

Conclusion

Monument is a strong exploration of Leifendeth’s dystopian, seething musical approach. It captures all of his raging energy, lacerating power and bleak emotion while adding new and fresh spins on the music.