DeathPosture Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 I'm opening a new thread here, in the appropriate review forum as neither this thread nor this were proper reviews... ------------------------------- Penta - Funraiser Hi-res: front + back Artist: Penta (USA) Title: Funraiser Format: CD (jewel case) Label: AuraQuake (USA) Cat. #: AQCD001 Distribution: Arabesque Date: 12 September 2005 Track listing: 01. 08’14” It Is Done 02. 07’29” Detonator 03. 07’25” Inverter 04. 08’50” Pigletango 05. 08’20” Past Holidays 06. 08’23” September 07. 08’38” Eater Of Worlds 08. 07’31” For The First Time 09. 07’51” Flash Forward .m3u-playlist: http://tinyurl.com/d8aqt (all tracks!) Review: Tales from the crypt! Russian-born, American-based producer Nikita Tselovalnikov is out with his second album on his newly established AuraQuake label… Another dedicated psy-trance label from San Fransisco… I dunno what the hell goes on in the Bay-area, but the scene is indeed thriving there – the two releases by Dropout Productions earlier this year are still fresh – and now this! Penta really, really impressed me with his debut album Pentafiles released on Spectral Concepts in 2003, and this one has been getting quite some hype… So here’s hoping for an action-packed ride in Pentaland… Let me take you thru the tracks… #01: It Is Done “It is done!” Yikes – a spooky intro if there ever was one… Haunting, disturbing hissing – straight outta Elm Street… But fear not, this is Penta after all so it can’t be too depressing now can it? He does his best though, with a bleak atmosphere mixed up with sharp acid-stabs, spiralling synths and evil chords… Dark yes, evil maybe – but in the best possible way! The re-used Talamasca-samples are a bit over the top though – but the creepy, undecipherable voice-samples at the end make up for that… This reminds me of ancient Parvati-material like Droidsect or old Dark Soho… A very fine track indeed! =) #02: Detonator “Not entertaining enough… You’ll have to use the detonator! … Excellent explosion your majesty!” Now this is one demented, deranged track - complete with kitschy, old-school Commodore64 game sounds and some kind of pitched down siren or whatever the hell it is… The main melodic lead you’ll either love or hate... Personally I hate it; it really sucks beyond words… And that’s sad really, coz otherwise this is a good track… It has some really interesting ideas… I just can’t seem to get past that demented melody… #03: Inverter Well, the spooky hissing from track #1 is back – but at least the deranged melody from track #2 is gone… Sort of – its ugly cousin is here! Anyway, this is still a pretty nice track… Very forest-like and instantly shroom-friendly… Could have easily been a Schlabbaduerst or Ørebro composition… Cool! A very hectic and dreadfully crazy tune… Good, but not spectacular! Decent so to speak… #04: Pigletango “What are you talking about? I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about! … Tomorrow at midnight the light will leave the third planet and be backing home. Sorry you made the trip for nothing!” Oh yes, now we’re getting somewhere… Meet the meanest bassline this side of Alcatraz prison – fuck, it’s gargantuan in all it’s illicit, rawking simplicity… Driving, haunting, kicking up some dust – and what’s that weird morphing sound… A train passing by? Whatever the hell it is, it works wonders… This track is pure evil… Packed to the rim with dark, distorted pads and mean-ass kicks… Would mix well with oCeLoT, Kemic-Al and the likes… Brilliant track! #05: Past Holidays “And when the doctor said I didn’t have worms anymore that was the happiest day of my life!” We continue with another brand-spanking amazing track…The intro is packed with classic Ralph Wiggum quotes + added value psychedelia all over the place… A funny, oddball track reminiscent of Killer Buds, Phyx or Kemic-Al… So many fun little twists and turns… The Homer-solo + the climax will cause absolute havoc on the dancefloors! Oh, and not forgetting the excellent hats-off to a classic punk rock tune… Oh man – Dead Kennedy's classic track Holiday in Cambodia has immense nostalgic value to me… Reminds me of my carefree days working as a bartender in London… Skazi kinda ruined the fun in cover-versions, but it seems Penta has revived it… Coz this is so beautifully executed! Stellar track! #06: September “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti!” Another gruesome, gruelling intro – taken straight out of some horror-movie! As the track progresses we’re exposed to a lethal dose of acid-driven, high-power, nightly psytrance… With a murky old bassline to beat the shit out of your speakers! The Hannibal Lecter quote fits in perfectly in this grotesque track… Reminds me of Psyfactor! Spooky shit – very good spooky shit! #07: Eater Of Worlds “I am the eater of worlds – and of children! And you are next!! … Next on sci-fi!” … Yeah, again we’re in multi-quote land… This track is the missing link between Pennywise and The Sci-fi Channel! But first a very subtle intro… Spooky for all the wrong reasons… That naïve melody is scary as hell! But eventually the track comes into full effect – in all its staccato glory! Experimental for sure, with a sick take on darkpsy as a whole… I’m not too happy with the deranged, high-pitched melodies… They annoy me for a good portion of the track – and that pisses me off, coz again the rest of the track is pretty damn cool… But those demented melodies – they get inside my head… Aaaaargh! #08: For The First Time Woow – what an absolutely stomping intro! And I mean that literally! What an impressive work on the drum programming… Stomp motherfuckers! So yeah, this is an incredibly fast-paced, bouncy track… That sampled clockwork is just plain haunting and those nifty little acid-bits rocks! The pitched-up voice-sample is funny and I really like the over all oddball theme in this track… Loads of quotes from the sitcom The Nanny… Good stuff! Good track! #09: Flash Forward Sadly we’ve come to the last track… The intro here isn’t as cool as the rest on the album – and that’s a shame! The track itself is good though – a raging, electro-static, full-power dance track… Hectic, multilayered and dark… Save the whales! The chanting is downright creepy – and helps give this track edge… I like it! A fine way to end a remarkable album! A remarkable album for sure! Oh yes, this was one hell of a ride… There are a couple of tracks that are ruined by some severely retarded melodies, but I hear that people flip out to those too… They are just not my cup of java! But enough with the bad sides, this album has an influx of good sides… I mean, just listen to the sheer magnitude of these tracks – so rich, so full of flavour, so funny, so fucking great… The mastering by Son Kite is also flawless and leaves little to be desired! Also the seemingly-boring artwork has a few secrets to be revealed… I like it! ;o) This is without a doubt one of the best albums in the darkpsy segment this year – right up there with Kemic-Al’s Twisted Parameters, Para Halu’s The World Of Peace and Psyfactor’s Evil Inside… I’m not sure if this is as good as Pentafiles – but it’s equally good – a tie really! So yeah, fans of Penta and twisted, trippy, oddball darkish psy-trance should definitely check this album out! It’s pretty fucking good! Enjoy! Favourites: 1, 4(!), 5(!!), 6, 8 DeathPosture External links: Penta: http://www.pentafiles.com Aura Quake: http://www.auraquake.com TranceShop: http://tinyurl.com/b8mb2 Saiko Sounds: http://tinyurl.com/9r8ll Beatspace: http://tinyurl.com/a8s35 Discobole: http://tinyurl.com/9gajx Wirikuta : http://tinyurl.com/8pk7q Psyshop: http://tinyurl.com/anehm Wakyo: http://tinyurl.com/auo8e Chaos: http://tinyurl.com/9cm74 Ajuca: http://tinyurl.com/ar2tz Juno: http://tinyurl.com/cfq9o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rain Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 mmmmm I still have to listen to this one again... I expected more... not intilligent enough... will write later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted September 22, 2005 Author Share Posted September 22, 2005 not intilligent enough... 342446[/snapback] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 I have to say one thing:Penta lost his unique style.Everything else is useless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rain Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 342451[/snapback] engrish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NT Posted September 22, 2005 Share Posted September 22, 2005 I have to say one thing:Penta lost his unique style.Everything else is useless. 342459[/snapback] I agree, this album is average 'darkpsy' , still with a few penta touches though, but the whole unique style is gone.. i don't find it as dark/scary/crazy as deathposture either... average album!... and oh yeah, very out of pace samples! (eater of worlds, past holidays etc...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basilisk Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 psynews.org is home to the bitchiest reviewers this album kicks serious ass... it's been a long wait and well worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAH Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 daddy liked... the samples Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted September 23, 2005 Share Posted September 23, 2005 What a great album! A funtastic second effort from Penta. It certainly remains distinctly Penta. Some odd samples, but most are fine with me. Deathposture wrote - "The Homer-solo + the climax will cause absolute havoc on the dancefloors! Oh, and not forgetting the excellent hats-off to a classic punk rock tune… Oh man – Dead Kennedy's classic track Holiday in Cambodia has immense nostalgic value to me… " Agreed, great trak, I'm guessing the title reflects the use of the D.K's Holiday in Cambodia. Ranking the D.K's in my all time top 5 fave acts, this just blew my sox clean off. A very punchy driving album that has so much space between all the sounds and elements. Everything breathes in unison and creates a fantastic flow, never getting overly cluttered. Kicks like a demented mule as well. Massive cheers to Penta for more great tunes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nefarious Posted September 24, 2005 Share Posted September 24, 2005 I'd also like to think that there's an illusion to the Sex Pistols - Holidays in the Sun, even if their isn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalker Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 I agree, this album is average 'darkpsy' , still with a few penta touches though, but the whole unique style is gone.. 342510[/snapback] I dont agree here If this is an average darpsy album, then dark is doing very well. This is for me, a dark album with qualities that stand by far then any other album released this year yet. Yeah the music doesnt have the same unique impact as Pentafiles, but his style is there and is still great imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadeInRealtime Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 I dont agree here If this is an average darpsy album, then dark is doing very well. This is for me, a dark album with qualities that stand by far then any other album released this year yet. Yeah the music doesnt have the same unique impact as Pentafiles, but his style is there and is still great imo 365077[/snapback] I second that! I personally think it still has to grow on a lot of people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 I'm opening a new thread here, in the appropriate review forum as neither this thread nor this were proper reviews... Of course it wasn't, cuz it was posted in the 'Artist News and Labels announcements' forum and it was posted like 2 months before it was actually released! There are posts like this almost to every release... The first line here makes no sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rain Posted October 24, 2005 Share Posted October 24, 2005 Of course it wasn't, cuz it was posted in the 'Artist News and Labels announcements' forum and it was posted like 2 months before it was actually released! There are posts like this almost to every release... The first line here makes no sense! 365243[/snapback] I also did send a pm to him how arrogant this is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted October 24, 2005 Author Share Posted October 24, 2005 Of course it wasn't, cuz it was posted in the 'Artist News and Labels announcements' forum and it was posted like 2 months before it was actually released! There are posts like this almost to every release... The first line here makes no sense! 365243[/snapback] I also did send a pm to him how arrogant this is 365721[/snapback] People were still making comments resembling reviews in those threads.... Comments that might actually come in handy to future readers... That's why I linked to them! I have no problems with the threads in artist news and label announcements... I was just preserving the actually facts for the future! /DP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rain Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 People were still making comments resembling reviews in those threads.... Comments that might actually come in handy to future readers... That's why I linked to them! I have no problems with the threads in artist news and label announcements... I was just preserving the actually facts for the future! /DP 365738[/snapback] yés but you are not the only reviewer on earth... I review a lot in dutch just like you, at the same high level trust me ... so don't be that way... ... If people open topics about music on the belgium forum I don't say héy that's not a review... stupid ! still peace koen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeathPosture Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 yés but you are not the only reviewer on earth... I review a lot in dutch just like you, at the same high level trust me ... so don't be that way... ... If people open topics about music on the belgium forum I don't say héy that's not a review... stupid ! still peace koen 366294[/snapback] Look - this is Psynews... This has nothing to do with Belgian forums or your reviews there... All I wanted to make sure, was that ALL USEFUL information about a certain release is accessible from the appropriate review forum - that's helpful for future readers - unlike those threads that vanish in the general forum! The reason I linked to the those two threads was NOT to bash you guys - it was to help future readers... Who would come here to the indexed review part of the forum to seek information on any given release! If you really think I was I was "bashing" your review skills - why would I link to the threads I disliked? Your threads had some valuable info - info I wanted to make sure didn't get lost - hence the linking! Is this clear now, or do I need to spell it out? In five years, when I wan't to check up on the Penta-album - I go to the review section, select the year 2005 - find this thread - and can easily click on to those threads I linked too for further info... It's as simple as that! That's all I have to say - if you guys want to discuss it further, I'd be happy to do so. Please open a thread about it in the offtopic forum and leave this thread for actual reviews! Thank you! /DP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amphiton Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rain Posted October 26, 2005 Share Posted October 26, 2005 366657[/snapback] I second that honest words DP.... I accept Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 ah Penta is at it again and better than ever IMO. Funny,, some people consider this as kindof a letdown after his first album, personally I find this release MUCH more consitent than the first. Best track here is Inverter IMO, man those melodies just sneak in behind your back around 5:30 and then slowly build up more and more until your heart starts pumping like crazy. Eater of Worlds is my second pick. And of course the other tracks are good as well... BUT I still like Gregg on Earth's Sigilweaver better Not saying this isn't good though, just that in 05 there have been soooo many quality releases in this genre that it's really hard to make up your mind on which is better than which. So I rate this a 8,5/10... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
echo void Posted May 11, 2006 Share Posted May 11, 2006 I've had this CD for 2 months now... the first month I had it I listened to it ALOT... faves being "it is done" and "past holidays"... a month later, I was sick of it... I can't listen to it anymore... too catchy... so I would vote pentafiles has better endurance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnome Posted May 13, 2006 Share Posted May 13, 2006 so I would vote pentafiles has better endurance... 526047[/snapback] For sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemmiwinks Posted May 19, 2006 Share Posted May 19, 2006 I've had this CD for 2 months now... the first month I had it I listened to it ALOT... faves being "it is done" and "past holidays"... a month later, I was sick of it... I can't listen to it anymore... too catchy... 526047[/snapback] isn't that the problem with 99,9% of psy releases these days...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
advance Posted October 28, 2006 Share Posted October 28, 2006 Past Holidays is an AMAZING dance floor stomper. I just can't get over how amazing it was, earlier today when he Penta played it during his set.. The album has amazing production values. Try it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sawfly Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I expected more... not intilligent enough... I have to say one thing:Penta lost his unique style.Everything else is useless. I agree, this album is average 'darkpsy' , still with a few penta touches though, but the whole unique style is gone.. I have to agree with these Sadly I can't rate this higher than 5/10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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