Heavy-Current- Push the Fire

ARTIST: Heavy-Current

ALBUM: Push the Fire

LABEL: Poisonic

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 1-30-10

Unabashedly club-oriented but driven by sharp, crunchy guitar riffs, German trio Heavy-Current's new album isn't quite EBM and it isn't quite rock, but it's bound to please fans of both. For the dance crowd, there are beats and sequences aplenty; "Ratrace," despite its vocal aggression, is catchy, bouncy and infectious, and "Temper" is driven by an irresistible sing-along chorus anchored by pumping club rhythms. For folks who prefer the softer side of dark electronic music, there's even a ballad; "S.H.A.R.K." features pianos backed by synthesized strings. Rock fans have plenty to keep them happy, as well; the guitars here are an integral part of the music, not just a sampled bonus feature hastily thrown in to make things sound angrier. "Heut Nacht" in particular features a gritty blues riff that seems at odds with the clanking old school EBM rhythm and German-language vocals, but somehow it all comes together perfectly. "Dining Death" is big and epic, the guitar roaring and soaring over hard-hitting electronic sequences, while "One Way World" is slower but even heavier, overdriven riffs filling in the throbbing bass grooves of the programmed rhythm section. Particularly appealing to fans of groups like Eisbrecher and even Rammstein, this album's seamless blend of head-banging riffs and floor-banging beats will bridge the industrial music divide that separates those who love guitars and those who disdain them; Heavy-Current proves that raving and rocking out aren't mutually exclusive.

Visit Heavy-Current online at www.heavy-current.de.