CheisR70 Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Artist.......: VA Album......: Digital Drugs 5 - Mental Matrix Type........: Compilation Genre......: Psychedelic Style.......: Psytrance / Dark Label.......: Digital Drugs Coalition Catalog#...: DIGICD015 ::Track by track review:: 01. Dr. Hoffman - 10 Days 06:38 This track starts off with a really cool bell like melody, before swirling twisted soundscapes fade. We are met with a full-on bassline and kickdrum. The percs and drums waste no time blasting you into the future. I think the cheering sample is a bit cheesy, but then it molds into a build up swoosh which is pretty nifty I must say. Bits and variations of that intro melody are present through out this tune, which seems to be the main idea of this track, as all the synths and percs tie into it. However this never gets boring as there are many FXs and tweaks to keep this tune ripping all the way to the end. Good production and a overall fun track, maybe not darkpsy, but who cares. 8/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 02. Brokenbeat Vs Electronic Concept - Nightmare 06:28 The intro is really cool, reminds me of an alien world, a place of mystery and wonder. However very quickly it turns to danger as a vicious full-on bass and laser crisp kick drum drops with a bed of twisted FXs...Really freaky and weird sounds glitch there way in. Things are moving into a darker direction with this one, as the melodic content seems to focus more on dissonance then conventional musicality. But wait! A hidden pad makes its way through the chaos and absolutely mad soundscape. It makes you beg for release, and just as the pad is about to make a full appearance, everything drops out... The break down is short and sweet and when things slam back into gear, a really creepy melody joins the full-on force. This track is nuts, and with great production, crazy FXs, glitches, there is no way you won't be tripping balls. 9/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 03. Psyshark Vs Kalilaskov As - Transparent Universe 07:41 Things start off a bit dramatic with a cinematically inspired synth-line. Quickly things turn to the darkside as it is flipped and tricked, and later being accompanied by harsher synth-line. A tweaked out voice sample makes a hasty appearance and then the beat slams in. After a high energy fill, the percs come roll about, and DAMN are they intense. I thought the last track was crazy, but this one is full of chirps and weird samples. However, even though it's really crazy, the bassline is holding a melody, which makes this track more in the full-on category rather than true dark. Through out the journey of this tune, well placed FXs are scattered about, this keep things interesting. I really appreciate the melodic hooks used, a perfect blend of full-on and dark. 9/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 04. Frost Raven - The Hole 09:00 The Hole begins with a very eerie pad sound that then gives way to some clicky and alien FXs. Shortly after, the eerie pad returns but now with the beat and bassline hot on it's tail. The mood of this track is the darkest so far, with little melodic movement and some scary FXs. Just as things are about to get boring, a weird alien synth line jumps and pops about, and shortly after, the first melody of the track makes an appearance. The melody is very well crafted and fits perfectly with all the madness that is laden everywhere in this track. This is a long track, just when I thought it was over, a new melody emerges in a breakdown, and this time it has a baroque vibe to it. The heavily Bach influenced melody then bursts into a feverish mind blasting drop. I loved the fear vibe this track has to it, and those melodies were amazing. Good production value combined with everything else makes this track one of my favorites. 10/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 05. Electrypnose - Ornic (Meteor Burn Rmx) 08:07 I love the synth-line that begins with this track. It's classic sound, but the way it's used is keeps in fresh. When the beat comes in, it slams you hard. The bassline is all over the place, it keeps modulating to different notes. It kinda works and kinda doesn't. I don't feel like this track has a clear direction, it truly is madness and chaos thus making it hard to follow at times. A melody makes its way through the thick of all the sounds to try and help guide you. A cool idea, but its clashing with the bassline tone, and the theme isn't really executed that well. This tune has some great productions, and cool FXs. Though it's far too typical of most darkpsy and really all over the place. 6/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 06. Tricossoma Vs K-Lapso - Dark Movie 07:27 The voice of a young woman in pleasure echos through. The FXs and delays done to this sample makes the whole vibe of this track instantly creepy. With out warning a lasery kick-drum drops. The bassline is your typical tonic 16th blasting psy bass. And the way it's done in this track is really awesome. My GOD! Something awful is about to happen, I feel sorry for the humans that are getting eating by all the millions of cyborgs that have just landed. Relentless attacks, this track doesn't let up. It's full on darkness and trippy mind blasts. All hope is a lost. I'm not sure what else to say about this track... Love this one. 10/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 07. Fright Rate - Scary Story 06:01 It wastes no time, freaky pad and then the rapid fire bassline rips in. Oh my, my brain is being eaten by the synth-lines in this one. Very intense right off the bat. Psycho mad FXs and squishy synths are what this tune is about. No melodic content besides the the pad in the background, which I think works really well in holding the track together. There is a point when the pad drops out and more tweaky FXs make there way in, thus creating a fervent psychedelic atmosphere. This track is also all over the place, but with a clear (well clear-ish) direction. A lot of these sounds being employed in this are typical of darkpsy. But it’s done in away that pull everything together. Another blasting darkpsy tune. 8/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 08. Paraforce - The Giants Rule the Land 07:55 The production of this tune is crispy. The bassline starts off expected and subtly glitches the track into insanity. There is a lot of edits and glitch FXs in this tune. One synth that sounds like a crow...More appropriately a psytrance crow. The glitches and FXs are so cool in this one, at times overused, but I can understand why the artist might have done that (it's just so much fun). This track is just nutz and goes crazy, and yet the groove is really tight. You'll be dancing your ass off. I think if a DJ dropped this track in a set, everybody on the dance-floor would rejoice cause they'd no longer have to buy lSD for the party. Another Favorite of mine. 10/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 09. Digital Dimensions - Emergency 07:19 After all the crazyness before, the bouncy catchy line that opens this track is a refreshing wash of of sanity. When the drumbeat comes in, it's really groovy and easy to get lost in. This is kind of a minimal track in comparison to the others, and the added space creates a really cool vibe, allowing the other background synths to really shine through. In particular, this one goa-ish melody. It rocks this track, the groove was already solid, but now we are jumping up and pumpin. our hearts are beating at 152. The minimal approach to this track is brilliantly done. A vocal sample is scattered about and gives this track a hook. Other producers would probably have fun remixing this tune. Out of all the tracks on this comp, I think this one is the best (so far). 10/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Overhuman Project - Neuro Confusion (Wizack Twizack Rmx) 06:46 The bassline is really cool, and the glitches are just fantastic. Yeah, the whole sound design of this track is just there. You'll find this out in the first couple of seconds, as this track jumps into it pretty quickly. The bassline is very awesome, I think I said that already, it's catchy and drives this track. The production is great and the arrangement is great, and damn that bassline IS the track. A rock steady tune! 10/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Hyper Drive - Delay Test 06:31 The bassline and kick sample remind me of the goa period, which is a good thing since goa trance is awesome sauce. The sounds-cape/pad reminds me of a planet I visited with my good friend Samus (nerd joke). The melodies are kinda weird, this whole track is a bit weird. While the above tracks focused on fear and terror, this track theme seems to be alien worlds. I think this track has a lot of good qualities, but I'm not feeling the lines used in this track. It feels just too random to me. And there are some cheesy voice samples. I see what this track is trying to do, with the whole goa vibe, but it's not working for me. Not the best way to end the CD. Nice goa tune, but too random for me, my least favorite on the CD. 5/10 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall, a great CD full of some killer tunes. My picks 4, 6, 8, 9, & 10. How do you think I did for my first review and post here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorspook@hotmail.com Posted October 7, 2009 Share Posted October 7, 2009 Wow! This is an absolutely killer review! Thanks for being so straight up. FYI... this was an unsolicited review so in my mind its even cooler! =) great details and descriptions to the tracks... can I post this review to some other places? sincerely, Spook (aka Mindstorm) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheisR70 Posted October 8, 2009 Author Share Posted October 8, 2009 Wow! This is an absolutely killer review! Thanks for being so straight up. FYI... this was an unsolicited review so in my mind its even cooler! =) great details and descriptions to the tracks... can I post this review to some other places? sincerely, Spook (aka Mindstorm) Yea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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