ANENZEPHALIA - S/T - Death Factory - 2001

Power-Electronics is an old definition from the early 80s' which has lately come back on fashion, helping a lot of untalented and uninspired people to sell their basement-noise CDs. Luckly for our poor ears, there does exist somebody which is still able to produce some challenging and stimulating industrial music for our insane delight: Anenzephalia are without any doubt among them.
Whoever was lucky to attend their performances during last year's tour with Der Blutharsch and Deutsch Nepal certainly has not forgotten the strong impact of their sonic assaults, blinding lights and video cut-ups.
This CD is a good occasion to get some recordings of the German duo, since all their previous works are, of course, deleted, having been released by Tesco Organisation and RRRecords (really a pity, because it's damned great stuff!). The songs are taken from a concert which dates back to 1996, and the tracklist includes extracts from their whole carrier, from the early single "Lyse", down to the masterpiece "Ephemeral Dawn" and the latest "New World Disorder". If you were so lucky to listen to the above works, this CD won't add anything, but for all the others it is a very recommended item: here you won't hear stupid senseless noise and Hitler speeches, but complex and well-constructed electronic rhythms, mixed with disturbing screamed vocals.
Believe me, at the moment Anenzephalia are the best power-electronics combo around, they truly carry on the tradition of original industrial music, especially S.P.K., and are maybe the only ones who do manage to innovate this genre, while even their much more acclaimed friends Genocide Organ are lately just imitating that sound.

Simone Valcauda
April 2002