Those who forget history are, uh, Futurist?
Alec Empire - Futurist Tim Karan on 2/28/07 @ 6:28 PM
[2/5] Remember how Alec Empire and his Digital Hardcore mafia were going to revolutionize punk rock in the '90s? Of course you don't-and, now that Empire (vocals, guitars, bass, drums) and co-conspirator Nic Endo (synthesized other stuff) have returned with a drastically slimmer version of their trademark sound, it's likely you'd spot tails tucked between their legs if the duo had any humility. That aside,
Futurist is a decent little rock 'n' roll record, its recycled proto-punk riffs and programmed beats falling somewhere between Refused and the Hives via Ministry's mixing board. Want a recommendation? Go full-on futuristic with
Futurist and convert the thing to MP3: Spinning on an iPod, visually detached from Empire's all-caps sloganeering and me-against-the-world lyric sheet, the album holds up well as digital entertainment. It's when you file it in your CD rack next to 25-plus years' worth of actual punk-rock progress that the revolution doesn't sound so revolutionary anymore. Which, come to think of it, is exactly what killed Digital Hardcore the first time around...
(DHR) Aaron Burgess
Official Website: http://www.digitalhardcore.com
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