Sunday 5 July 2015

LINIE - What We Make Our Demons Do (Album Review)


























‘An intriguing collection of noises and sounds that fuses Desert Rock, Industrial Rock, Electronica with a heavy slab of Sludge just to keep the mood very bleak indeed’

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: July 31st 2015
Label: Bad Kingdom

‘What We Make Our Demons Do’ CD//DD//LP track Listing:

1). Intro
2). Blood On Your Arms
3). The City
4). Inability
5). Designate
6). Lake Of Fire
7). Chewing Gum
8). Bearing Life
9). No Ideal
10). Natural Selection
Outro

LINIE is:

Jörn // voc/git
Alex // git/voc
Ralph // bass/voc
Alex // drums/voc
Iggi // keys/electronics


Review:

I have featured LINIE on the blog previously when I reviewed their debut 7inch single.  Fast forward to summer 2015 and the guys return with their dark electro tinged album ‘What We Make Our Demons Do’. What you get is nn intriguing collection of noises and sounds that fuses Desert Rock, Industrial Rock, Electronica with a heavy slab of Sludge just to keep the mood very bleak indeed. The album opens with ‘Intro’ a 51 second track that perfectly sets the mood with hazy electronic noises and a creepy soundbyte outlining the tone of the whole album.

‘Blood On Your Arms’ has influences ranging from Depeche Mode, The Cure and other gloomy dark rock bands but LINIE splice things up with traces of Sludge and Desert Rock. Lead vocalist Jörn has a range from clear pitched harmonics to the heavier based growls with added support from his band members. These guys say their music is mainly Desert Rock? Well I haven't heard Desert Rock gone this dark and twisted before and it works as LINIE are unlike anything you'll hear this year. I've had this album for a couple of months now and it's a complex sounding album with scope and vision to match.

The third track ‘The City’ is another electronic influenced dark odyssey where the Desert Rock vibes feel they've been given a makeover by bands such as The Cure or Nine Inch Nails. The music ventures from heavy sludgy riffs with traces of fuzz, to more bass driven Industrial carnage, indeed LINIE won't appeal to everyone, the more traditional or familiar Desert Rock sound is mostly absent here. This a more twisted and experimental version of Desert Rock. ‘The City’ is one of the albums standout tracks as it has quite an addictive edge.

‘Inability’ sees LINIE becoming more and more pissed off as the music becomes ever more primal and darker throughout. It's more of the industrial side of music with the Sludge driven riffs being played at different levels throughout the song. Jörn channels his inner angry poet persona like his life depended on it. Shades of Robert E Smith may appear in Jörn's vocal delivery from time to time but I find that very mesmerizing indeed.

LINIE continue this dark and twisted journey on other songs such as ‘Designate’, ‘Lake Of Fire’, ‘Chewing Gum’ and ‘No Ideal’. The rest of the album doesn't really change from the opening 4 songs and in my eyes that is a good thing because LINIE creates their own unique take on all things Stoner and Desert Rock. The electronic sounds, noises and rhythms may take some getting used to, but they're an essential part of LINIE's music. If you take that part away from LINIE's sound then you would lose the heart and soul of this album.

The production on the album is superb throughout and ‘What We Make Our Demons Do’ is a dark, twisted and violent album that is very hard to define. If this is what LINIE call Desert Rock then I want to hear more. I can see LINIE going down a storm with the Roadburn Festival crew, their sound caters a lot for that festival's audience. Dark, Ambient, Industrial, Sludge, Stoner, Noise and Desert Rock. Lets see where this album takes them becasue these guys are something special indeed.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to LINIE for the promo CD. What We Make Our Demons Do will be available on CD/DD/Vinyl/Tape on Bad Kingdom Records from all good stockist on July 31st 2015.

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