Nu-En-Jin (CD) by Mortal

CD. Strange how in a time when industrial music has become homogenized and lacks the visceral fear it induced in its heyday, Mortal should return to the genre and release such an abrasive and exciting record. On Nu-En-Jin, the madmen behind the original project return after a six-year hiatus and immediately begin kicking around the old samplers like they had never left. Plowing through the album with a swagger atypical of most Christian industrialists, Mortal puts an emphasis on the harsh aspects of their sound while still adding a swing that makes the music surprisingly catchy. The hideous vocals are genuinely frightening at moments, while at other points they are a gruff whisper delivering doomy messages over the hectic beats. The music is a muscular blend of overwhelming noise and dance-friendly aggression, a sonic apocalypse that hinges on gritty synth lines and scattered audio clips. The occasional slow track reveals their talents at moody pop music, another aspect of their sound that was sorely missed, but they don't revisit this part of their past sound very often. Few bands can still bring the power and intensity of the genre's early-'80s heyday, but Mortal proves that they still have the goods and only needed to recharge their batteries before returning with a vengeance. ~ Bradley Torreano, Rovi