VIRTUAL EMBRACE HELLEKTRO ALBUM ALFA-MATRIX RELEASE: AUGUST 22, 2005 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 11, 2005

There are those who claim that hellektro is a new subgenre, just like terror-EBM (perhaps) is one and futurepop - and finally here's an album with the brave title of the supposed genre itself.

German Mike Johnson (also known as "Evil Mike") is not only the man behind Virtual Embrace, but also a member of musical projects such as Agonoize, Sero.Overdose and Infekktion. On Virtual Embrace's second album Johnson's teamed up with British DJ Cyberchrist, to get help with refining the lyrics. He sings them himself though, with distorted vocals to a club-orientated EBM sound, where you'll find melodies and heavy beats, jinking baselines and familiar harsh soundscapes.

Virtual Embrace is related to bands like Suicide Commando, Hocico as well as Grendel, and if hellektro is a subgenre it stems quite directly from the new turn electronic body music took during Leæther Strip's and :Wumpscut:'s more glorious days.

"Hellektro" has its moments now and then (for instance on "Welcome to My World", "Drugs Drugs" and "Reluctant Messiah"), but lacks the acuity to embrace a whole subgenre, whether it exists or not.

SUSSI PETTERSSON