I grew up listening to Ministry, Meat Beat Manifesto, Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, Front 242, Revolting Cocks, Pigface, Einsturzende Neubauten, Controlled Bleeding, and well, yeah. I have a real affinity and fondness for that era of industrial – although I always listened to that stuff with a punk ear. I can say that Defect Play are in the same canon, but no where in the same league. If you appreciate late 80’s/early 90’s industrial, and modern noise, this probably hits that sweet spot between the two.
The release starts of with some purely danceable beats, with some uncomfortable noise – and I could’ve listened to about 10 minutes of that, “Dulled” is an absolute banger of a track. Unfortunately, it’s only 1:58. It’s definitely a lost opportunity, as it has room to develop into something. I can totally see this in like with those Wax Trax 12″ EPs with dance remixes – that would be the song I’d get remixed by Bill Rieflins or someone like that. In fact the first side is all songs that probably could’ve been longer, and developed a little longer. As it is, it seems like a series of songs that were cut short on the one side, and left a little too long on the other side. I admit that my ear isn’t as keen for this sound as it once was, but I don’t feel the drums are forward enough to help propel the songs further along. Maybe it’s the lack of bottom end through the first two songs, and that only appears briefly on “Defective Structures”.
So not something that I would’ve sought out, but I’m glad I came into contact with it and that people are still working in this style. It just feels that this release was not finished, or not quite finished.
