Null Factor- Purity

Artist: Null Factor
CD Title: Purity
Label: Ballistic Test Productions
Reviewer: Matthew Johnson
Date: 6-26-05

Another artist from the Ballistic Test Productions roster of Christian electronic acts, Null Factor’s Dan Harvell creates classic-sounding EBM in the same vein as early Front Line Assembly. He has a real flare for rhythm, creating infectious dance beats on “Inner Sense” and pounding, aggressive drum patterns on the hard-edged “Virtual Suicide,” but unfortunately his skills as a producer don’t quite match up. On “Kill Switch” and the otherwise catchy “Realign,” the drums sound flat somehow, while on album opener “Total Disregard” there’s too much reverb on the vocals, giving the song a kind of garage band feel that seems unintentional and doesn’t quite work. Still, there’s definite talent here. On the “Replaced By Life” remix of “Critical,” Harvell adds distorted guitar harmonics and melodic backing vocals to fill out the sound, and “Disrupted,” perhaps the most experimental track of the bunch, manages to keep a club-friendly dance rhythm amidst Skinny Puppy-inspired atmospheric dissonance. Although this album is a bit rough around the edges, Null Factor has promise, and if you miss the EBM and electro sounds of the early ‘90s – or have been looking for a more Jesus-friendly version of Front Line Assembly – you’ll dig Harvell’s work for sure.

Go to www.nullfactor.com for more information.