It’s always heartwarming for a reviewer when a band comes into their own, and Prometheus Burning have done so in spades with “Plague Called HuMANity”. While their rhythmic noise roots are hardly forgotten, there’s an occult twinkle in this duo’s eyes that’s akin to Skinny Puppy at their most arcane… and yet they manage to never feel ‘retro’ while clearly citing such influences. Their cover of Ministry’s seminal “You Know What You Are” may conclude this disc, yet it’s sinister bass synth descendant supercedes and emphasizes this sonic lineage in “Blackmagick Tongue”, where Nikki Telladictorian’s nasal cries and a stuttering typewriter beats tangle with crusty film samples and cawing metallic synths. Still, even when Telladictorian’s Kali-like presence remains absent, her partner Greg VenEch proves even his hoarse whispers can leave moments like the crackling, snare-chewing “Realm Of Thee Divine” equally haunting. Though Telladictorian certainly dominates this disc, all of ProBurn’s best features can be found in “Ouroboros Deathride”, an epicenter which allows VenEch’s hypnotic hiss, Telladictorian’s pointed wails, and fuzzy analog disco riffs to coalesce into a catchy morsel of controlled chaos. While there seems to be a general renaissance of electronic bands vying for intelligence over club marketability, “Plague Called HuMANity” is even exceptional in that esteemed field.

VM (8/9), Side-Line