CoC : Cease.and.Desist - Bliss : Review

Cease.and.Desist - _Bliss_
(Machinery Productions, 2008)
by: Quentin Kalis (6.5 out of 10)

Dodgy punctuation in these pages usually means an industrial / EBM inspired act, and the reader would not be far off in deducing that _Bliss_ must be of this style. More precisely, they are a more extreme version of Ministry and other Wax Trax! acts. This is sample laden and a drum machine is used, in about the only context in which either would be acceptable. It is grittier and more abrasive than, say, The Kovenant, foregoing the gloss, electronic beeps and bad fashion. There is a militaristic, almost mechanical quality to a number of songs, which only emphasises the industrial feel they are aiming for. Instrumental "Advent" and "Apocrypha" feel like unnecessary and over-simplistic electronic diversions and do not impact favourably on the album. Overall, this feels like a band with a destination, but the path is unclear, and the effect of their industrial grind syncretisation is patchy and in need of further refinement.

Contact: http://www.myspace.com/protest06

(article published 31/10/2008)