H.I.V. + - Censored Frequencies & Other Mystic Territories - [Divine Comedy]

2003-01-31

Much like Hypnoskull and Noisex , H.I.V.+ has that killer beat that makes me twitch like i've been rabid . With the addition of sampled guitars , H.I.V.+s' rhytmic industrial is just beyond fatal . Yes , it does make H.I.V.+ sound more accessible , more rockish and song structured , but it will still shock a dance floor of future pop crap and ebm wannabes and will leave them dazed & confused .

It doesn't start good , though . "Just One X - God " that pops quickly after the album's intro , is just too predictable . it contains some " to easy to track down " samples from the motion picture " Seven " as some unnecessary gesture to Velvet Acid Christ , common guitars riffs and plain distorted vocals . Don't worry . The next track " Genocide In Lhassa " is the best track on the album . It starts with a Somatic Responses like epic and minimal melody , then a meaty bass line rumbles its way into the mix before the track evolves into an industrial tekno mutation . And a mutated album it is .Crispy snares are thrown over pounding tekno beatz and tight metallic guitars roam with abrasive industrial noises . Converter and Ministry sure come to mind .The second cd on this double album is mostly remixes . Acts like Sonar , E.S.R and label mates Lith , among others , give their more experimental and electronica oriented interpretation to H.I.V+s' industrial strength with Quirky breakbeats and shrieking noises .

" Censored Frequecies & Other Mystic Territories " is a fine album . If you'll ask Pedro Robles , the man behind H.I.V.+ , what is his main goal to achieve with H.I.V.+ , he'll probably say " To bring rhytmic industrial to a wider audience " . With his latest release , he might just do that .

Rani Zager