INTERLACE INNUENDO ALBUM MEMENTO MATERIA RELEASE: APRIL 1, 2002 REVIEW: APRIL 23, 2002

It is always nice to see Swedish newcomers. But here we have a band dealing with the relationship between man and machine as well as engineered people. Perhaps not the freshest of themes. All the clichés brought forth by Interlace disturb me. The lyrical content is not exactly new, the onslaught of distorted drums and sequences has been done to death before, and the obligatory ambient piece at the end of the album is not particularly innovative either, consisting mostly of low drones and watery noises.
The group itself is very anonymous, never mentioning a name or showing themselves in pictures. This album was done by Interlace, period.
I'll give them high marks for their technical skills, but I prefer content over style. Their sound is a sample filled mixture of Skinny Puppy, Haujobb and - according to the record company - Front Line Assembly. People fond of these bands can definitely find something to enjoy here. But most of the songs just melt together in a sea of distortion and powerful drum blasts, leaving no particular imprint.
However, some compositions stand out a bit, starting with the opener "Tetragrammaton", a driving dance number, "Ascent" an atmospheric piece with nice singing, and "Missing Link" a more melodic but heavy track.
A very competent debut, but next time please focus more on the songs instead of knob twiddling. And stay off the distortion box.

JOHAN CARLSSON