Search - Kevorkian Death Cycle :: Dark Skies

Industrial bands in the 1990s are divided into two camps--those that use guitars and those that don't. Fans of the music are just as riven--"purists" decry the use of such a pedestrian rock & roll instrument in electronic music, and others feel it adds that extra crunch to the mix. Well, in the interest of fair warning, Riverside, California's Kevorkian Death Cycle fall down in the guitar camp--not that there's anything wrong with that. Actually, Dark Skies, the curiously named band's second release, is a strong disc that draws accent from grinding guitars but most of its nourishment from slinky rhythms, powerful bass synth, and good use of keyboard atmospherics. Fairly typical of the genre, vocalist Ryan Gribbin sings (OK, well, mostly grunts and screams) anguished lyrics about existence, the environment, and alienation, but he invests them with enough force and emotion to make us prick up our ears. Tracks like "Static" and "Prisoner" may not end up as industrial classics, but they certainly contain enough anthemic elements and dance-floor appeal to keep club crowds happy. --Steve Landau