I remember in 2016 when BL4KJ4K walked on to the stage at Resistanz festival, the man I had been introduced to as John only a couple hours earlier.. Completely changing my taste in industrial music with that brutal performance.
From the Terminator 2 remix intro at Tanz which gave me spine tingles (Which he was able to reanimate only recently due to a copy I had of his version) to the brutality of Automaton Assisted Annihilation, Firebomb, and Assault Protocol (Feat. Sirus) - those tracks mainly from his second album Automaton Assisted Annihilation damn well stuck with me, and kicked off eight great years of friendship between us both. (and even Elektro Vox itself in 2019!) To say I have been asking John to hit us with the same automaton brutality in a new release - a lot, would be an understatement, but here it is. The absolutely incredible non-stop hard AF industrial Techno brutalism and joy that is RETURN OF THE AUTOMATONS!
Seraphim System incorporates elements of aggrotech, black metal, death metal, punk, drum and bass, and dubstep in its hellish creations.
After a history of playing in technical metal and punk bands, SER:SYS architect "BL4KJ4K" focused his musical abilities to craft rave tunes that will help you slam your skull into your chest cavity. Check out some at least nine (Yes nine!) previous Seraphim System reviews: https://www.elektrovox.com/search-results?q=seraphim+system
HOWEVER the most important one to look at would be the review of the 10 year anniversary of his first album Deadly Force, with Automaton Assisted Annihilation being his second album.
(Which gives this latest release its name)
Obsidian Frontline also seems highly relevant too!
STOP A MOMENT!
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Review
There's not too much detail for me to go in to when it comes to pure techno of course, but lets damn well try because Seraphim System, as always, has tried to push experimental boundaries with this!
The album starts off with some lore on the first track, setting the stage for the war mankind is fighting against the Automatons, and I suppose, has been fighting since the original Automaton album. 'Reforge//Reprocess' Brings a nice phat slice of industrial hardstyle and a meaty.. 'We are f*cking BACK!' It's fast, it's pounding, and it's a great energetic introduction of what's to come. (A nice little meme sample is in there too if you listen!). 'Eradication Protocol' is a heavy machine gun barrage of beats, which would tear up an industrial techno dance floor harder than a belt fed 50. cal.. My jaw hurts already!
'Beyond Safe Limit' is a slight easing of the BPM accelerator to give way to some mid tempo stomping, much like the track in the album 'Obsidian Frontline' which is about a war machine booting up, going on patrol, engaging the enemy, and reveling in victory. This whole track feels like a tribute to that great album. 'E//L//E' really does throw in the industrial feeling, like a production line of intense magnitude pumping out killing machine after killing machine without missing a beat. This is the type of industrial techno to lose your self in as you concentrate and focus. 'Signal\\Disrupt' hits us with a change up to that of drum and bass, but this is war drum and bomb bass, it's speedy, it's percussive, it's fierce, and it slaps! It feels like a touch of the Swaggrotech Seraphim System is known for. Dubstep trap reigns supreme in 'Not of Flesh but Machine' but that soon gives rise to a bit of gabber-esque techno. This is one to dance to and get a bit crazy with!
'Singular Directive' thumps out a fist pumping, floor pounding beat, transforming in to an experimental exploration of machine and electronic sounds. If Star Wars showed a very adult or violent nightclub scene with a lot of droids.. I hope they'd play this.. Lastly 'Purge\\Ascension' is my favourite track because no matter how many times I listen, the beginning drop and beat makes me audibly go.. 'Coooor!' This track is fire, the beats are great, the Industrial Techno is furious yet smooth, the spare percussion sounds are truly industrial sounding, and the end treats us to a trap beat breakdown I didn't expect. Like being beaten to death by an Automaton, this track does indeed both purge and ascend!
Conclusion
Rapid pulse inducing, dance encouraging, killer beats dominate this album. There are no lyrics to speak of other than the odd vocal quip, no nonsense frills, no long intros or slow sections; This album is a production line of fast and deadly industrial techno to get you moving and living again. Dancefloors across the globe should be torn to shreds with the Return of the Automatons!
GO F*CKING BUY IT!
Thank you!
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