After releasing one of the best albums of 2009 the Pittsburgh-based act Prometheus Burning were poised to be the darlings of the current Industrial scene. They had a great home amongst the impressive Crunchpod roster and were garnering a massive amount of praise for their musical prowess and diverse palate. Then came news that Crunchpod was switching to a digital-only formula, forsaking the era of physical CD copies. ProBurn is the sort of act that not only prides itself on the music but the visual aspects of their efforts including the artwork contained within a hard copy fans can cherish. They decided to self-release their latest effort, which is a gamble in and of itself. Beyond that they’ve opted to put forth their most diverse work to date, encompassing a wide variety of styles while still maintaining an essence that is unmistakably Prometheus Burning. Even so, it threatens to alienate those who found their last release, plague against huMANity, cohesive and satisfying.

Every act has its influences and many showcase them in an all too obvious manner. The duo of Greg VanEck and Nikki Telladictorian certainly celebrate the music that has inspired them while maintaining a voice that is clearly their own. As such, it becomes increasingly difficult to pigeonhole the sound of ProBurn in one of those easily digestible buzzwords we’ve come to rely upon such as “Industrial” or “Powernoise” or “Glitch.” Suffice it to say this is an act whose aural assault is akin to waking up in the middle of the embalming process and wondering where you left your heartburn medication. Even when there are elements of traditional Synth contained within a particular song structure it cannot be underscored that the ProBurn experience is nothing short of uneasy listening, particularly given Nikki’s harsh, altered vocal style which some might consider an acquired taste.

“Violator [v2]” picks up where plague left off, adding an even more layered density to their sonic assailment as well as quite an aggressive stance with which to open an album. The momentum carries through to “Suffering In Silence,” which is perhaps a bit too similar to its predecessor. It almost seems like a remix of the first track. “Mindbenders” is the sort of crunchy club track DJs salivate over when they’re looking to inject something with a little more corrosive punch into the mix. The track has no vocals but it does incorporate an X-Fusionesque, simplistic yet reverberatingly hard rhythm along with some cryptic voice samples and plenty of infectious ephemera along with a great breakdown toward the end.

Things really begin to pick up beginning with the fourth track, “Anonymous Death Threats,” which features lyrics culled from actual threats posted on Telladictorian’s blog last year. The song oozes plenty of menacing bass and heavily distorted vocals that seethe with vitriol during the “Welcome to the Industry…” chorus chant. This is probably one of the best pieces ProBurn has yet assembled and they follow that up with a droning noise number a la the Los Angeles act W.A.S.T.E. “Unpleasant Presence” is just that; a spacious, nightmare soundscape with plenty of banging, clanging and moody atmosphere. “Flesh Addict” has an Eighties feel to it, though it’s far more virulent than most anything you can remember from that decade.

The first half carries sufficient weight to keep you enthralled through the second, even as the material offered isn’t quite as strong. “Victim Complex” is a spacey, cyber-instrumental while “Left Hand Down” carries a lot more ambiance with a hushed vocal delivery and plenty of glitch. A two and a half minute foray into noise territory marks “The Ultimate Evil” and the set is rounded out by an overly long cut-and-paste remix of “Violater” by Belgium’s Imminent. A bonus track is included, simply titled “October.” It’s a remnant from 2003, rediscovered on an old hard drive that the act decided to share. Essentially it’s about eight minutes of drawn out, unsettling feedback that long time admirers will certainly find of interest.

Displacement Disorder is packaged in a plastic DVD case and comes with a bonus CD featuring thirteen tracks from an alternate project called Four Pi Movement that focuses primarily on ambient noise made with modular and hardware devices. Prometheus Burning is the sort of act that can attract people who prefer their electronic music less abrasive but are willing to go there if the work is impressive. And the crowd that likes a solid, stomping wall of distortion also find plenty of appeal in this outfit’s range of static, slithering sounds. While not quite as strong as its predecessor what ProBurn have put forth is an involving and ultimately satisfying collection of songs that has been packaged up in an affordable and accessible way for fans to digest slowly over time. Once the initial run of 500 copies sells out, which it seems guaranteed to quickly accomplish, the music will still be available as a download on Bandcamp and FiXT.

- Christopher Roddy, DarkTwinCities

Razorblade Society reviews Displacement Disorder in their latest episode, along with the new Frontline, Android Lust, Cynotic, and more (ProBurn review starts at 2:40). Check it out!

Industrial CD review show // August 2010 from Razorblade Society on Vimeo.

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

The Crunch Pod label has, it seems, cornered the market in nearly-but-not-quite experimental releases that are accessible enough to have a (fairly) wide appeal & yet are always surprising & offbeat enough to keep you on your toes. This release, from the duo of Nikki Telladictorian & Greg VanEck, is probably the best example I’ve heard of how successful a refusal to play by the rules can be with a style that is by turns inventively rhythmic, abstract, darkly atmospheric & overtly melodic while Nikki’s equally unique effected vocals add an almost punky edge. This is best borne out by ‘Realm Of Thee Divine’ where a number of disparate elements are combined, like an imperfect musical jigsaw, to make for a feel that is offbeat yet ultimately accessible enough for anyone who’s not expecting anything too easy-on-the-ear. The preceding title track offers another demonstration of how to sound innovative without any rampant experimentalism while ‘Deluge’, likewise, moves through a number of changes, from its abstract atmopsheric opening, through a cacophonous rhythmic barrage & on to an almost majestic latter half, although the continuing underlying rhythmic cascade provides a strong counterpoint as well as a continual impetus. In contrast, ‘Genovese Syndrome’ offers an altogether harsher aspect with some muscular rhythms providing a potent backbone for some scything lead sounds. Having said that, a bit of patience is in order as the opening double header of ‘The Box (Whispers From Within)’ & ‘Mother Of Abominations’ come across as clever rather than enjoyable, not really setting the world alight & it’s only with the mutated guitar riffs that form the basis of ‘Blackmagick Tongue’ that really engage the mind. This is probably the closest that the original tracks get to their stated Ministry influence, although there’s also a cover of ‘You Know What You Are’ which is actually on track 69, at the end of the album (I’m guessing, or should that be hoping, there’s some reason beyond the obvious for this!), offering a satisfying closer by combining an assertive bassline with steady, strong supporting rhythms in a manner that characterized a number of tracks, not least. But for all these accessible moments that innovative edge is still present to keep you from becoming too complacent with ‘The Weeping And Gnashing Of Teeth’ sounding like a mutated old-skool synthpop track put through the industrial grinder while the short piano-led interlude that is ‘False Prophets’ leads directly into ‘Confronting Pandora’ which seems to be the duo’s one concession to dancefloor considerations, coming closest to the the popular electro sound with a typically dancey, synthetic feel but while it may get them widespread dancefloor appeal the album offers far more than that, striking the perfect blend between the innovative & the accessible.

- Carl Jenkinson [7/10], Hard Wired

“Hope is the only good god remaining among mankind;
the others have left and gone to Olympus.
Trust, a mighty god has gone, Restraint has gone from men,
and the Graces, my friend, have abandoned the earth.
Men’s judicial oaths are no longer to be trusted, nor does anyone
revere the immortal gods; the race of pious men has perished and
men no longer recognize the rules of conduct or acts of piety.”
Theognis of Megara 6th century BC

…And that was all what left inside the box after Pandora opened it, she accomplished her destiny as the ultimate guile play ever performed by the gods against mankind. This conceptual meandering is what the famous Pittsburgh based duo represented by femme fatale Nikki Telladictorian and his partner in crime Greg VanEck has reserved for us to be contaminated with, their latest album released on the ever brilliant Crunch pod label. The cover artwork couldn’t be any more eloquent, the instant before the box is about to be opened before us and what about the music? Well it is a literal commission from a cyber-punk standpoint over such a legendary and complex mythological play. Who the fuck else has done something like this with this type of music? I tell you who, No one. Their overly energetic ensemble goes all the way reflexive over the topic referring mankind and its apocalyptical destiny that gets more and more evidence and less of a theory.

Everything on this conceptual work is caustic, noisy, gritty, edged, so don’t expect gentle sequences to cover in lollipops your dance floor, this is an industrial override as the ancient (now forgotten) forefathers from the Electro and EBM used to consider and implement their works, more than simple entertainment, this is pain disguised in deranged and riveted synths, jagged analogue sequences, demented junkyard breaks, sado-distorted female shrieks and a drop or two of an acid bad trip represented in the faithful adhesion to the old school formula, the general atmosphere and the lyricism introduced; Ultimately meant to be mean and rude with a definable clarity in the rhythmic section that achieves to conduct the listener to the proper mood of frantic convulsions and imperishable concentration over the course of each track. Some influences come to mind: Leather strip in the sequence style employed, Clock DVA on the more sinister and left handed mood, the crazy and uncompromised psycho driven compositional values from Skinny Puppy, twisted and demented structural changes and abrupt cuts, the harpy driven voice command from Genitorturers and finally the monolithic slow paced beats and fatty analogues from early Ministry. Add to that repertoire their own set of fundamental rhythmic noise recipe constructed entirely over a vast arsenal of rude synthesizers transformed in such beasts by the malignant hand of their owners. The textures and frequencies from the sequences limit with extreme electronics at times while the harshness and crudeness from their torrent of multi rhythmic breaks comes as the works of a mechanic foundry running at maximum capacity. In this aspect the band remits to memories from the UK based band Leech Woman, sharing perhaps a bit of that incendiary sense for mixing typical industrial clanging in a hectic array of beats and rhythmic layers, only difference is the quality of the texture from Prometheus Burning which is exceptionally virulent and their breaks share space for varied dynamics familiar with IDM.

There is different moods and constant tempo variation during the course of the work. The first two tracks come as a storm but then darkness slowly engulfs it all, first with “Blackmagick Tongue” and then with the occultist themed “Ouroboros Deathride”, more sinister and less frantic and backing off the female front vocals to the chorus and residing the male ones on the first plane, whispering its anathema in a faded voice. “False Prophets” comes as macabre, slow paced instrumental that serves perfectly as a stated interlude, then the work retakes on a punching set of beat and gripping analogue sequences on “Confronting Pandora” that adds an acidic guitar chords amongst the synth driven riffs. Tracks 9 & 10 re-heightens the principles on velocity and jammed rhythms and prepare the way for the decline that inevitably approaches with the melancholic delayed cyber punk ballad “Elpis (Hope is not enough)”, indeed, as the terrible malediction released upon mankind, hope just comes as another sinister anathema. So the carnival of death masques is over, only to return back from the dead after 57 blank tracks with a re-vamped idolization on “You know what you are” from Ministry which is a decent cover but not mind-blowing. A critic would be the linearity from the female vocals as product of the relentless modulation and by preserving the same tonality; the voice gets annoying and virtually clouding the analogue sequences as side effect. For the rest, the work gnaws tongue and drips blood. Terrific work these duo have had just conceived, an honorable way of paying tribute to the legion of industrialists of the past with a good amount of varnish from the future.

- Jack The Ripper, Heathen Harvest