V is for Villains – Evolve or Die
Released: June 2nd 2012
Label: IMW Inc.
In the world of music, bands need to do all they can to stand out among the masses. David Bowie and Alice Cooper were pioneers in stage dress up and alter egos. Since then many bands have incorporated their own stage gimmics and dress attire to stand out. V is for Villains chose to be an electronic-industrial band of comic book-esque villains. The band consists of Mr Agitator (vocals), Fallon Flynn (guitar), Veronica Jade (keyboards) and The Pulse (drums), each with their own background and story.
Their album Evolve or Die is what I would consider an electronic album with hits of industrial. Tracks like “Just Another Sinner” and “A World Without Rules” have an industrial beat with a sound sort of between bands like KMFDM and Razed In Black with a dash of Mindless Self Indulgence. I hate name dropping but it is a rather adequate way to describe these tracks.
“Playing The Villain” switches gears and is a driving, fast paced electronic track. “Everybody Hates Me” is another electronic heavy track with some nice bouncy beats and hooks. Where as “March of the Villains” sounds like the bands own personal movie soundtrack with industrial beats mixed together with some sweeping orchestral tones.
While not super chaotic (unlike the vocal styling of Mindless Self Indulgence), Nick Santiago’s high pitched vocal delivery on most of the tracks never fully appealed to me. There is enough fluctuation that it didn’t completely drive me away, but I feel it worked to flatten the album. I preferred it more when he was singing lower in key and I think it fit the music better in those moments. Female backing vocals help to balance things out at times though.
V is Villains, Evolve or Die is a decent album but has some room to improve. It does an ok job of mixing up the electronic style to keep things interesting enough. If you’re a fan of electronic-industrial, it’s worth giving a listen. Let us know what you think of it.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VIsForVillains
Website: http://www.visforvillains.com/
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