New Project - Primal.Logic.Slave
When industrial (or 'cyber', if you will) metal hit big in the mid-1990s it took a few years to filter through into the continental European scene, but before long the likes of Nuclear Blast were pumping out dozens of releases by knock-off German equivalents of Fear Factory et al. Generally, however, these bands lacked the spirit and inventiveness of the (usually American) pioneers, being content to do little more than take their traditional European metal and add triggered drums, the occasional looped beat and some random electronic bleeping and swirling noises in the background. Well, a decade later it seems that Happy Shopper industrial metal has finally reached the other side of the globe, as Australians New Project (blandest band name ever!) offer up 25 minutes' worth of exactly that on their debut EP, "Primal.Logic.Slave".
Not that the band are terrible at what they do: opening track 'Cyberpunk' has a meaty enough riff and will get you nodding along, while final track 'Decay' isn't my type of thing, but its repetitive, minimalist riff and whispered vocals would probably inspire some slow motion ultra-violet hair braid shaking at Slimelight. This type of music doesn't require a high degree of technical ability (at least, not the way New Project play it) but the musicians acquit themselves well enough, and vocalist Drew has a decent rasp, sounding remarkably similar to Dimmu Borgir's Shagrath in places. But the songs on this EP are very straightforward and one dimensional and the persistent lack of imagination and originality quickly becomes galling. The fact that they don't have a specific member in their ranks handling keyboards/electronics doesn't bode well for their live show either: five Aussies standing onstage looking awkward while their DAT tape plays the intro to the next song doesn't exactly make for a ripping night out.