Kill Memory Crash: Crash V8
Ghostly

Anyone tempted to peg Ghostly a microhouse label only better brace themselves for Kill Memory Crash's Crash V8 EP (a foretaste of the upcoming album American Automatic) as its steaming industrial techno decimates the disc's grooves in a manner that recalls Rephlex more than Ghostly. First up is the massive “Crash V8” which storms in with a wailing industrial stomp bolstered by the merciless punch of ostinato bass patterns, grinding synths, and tortured, goth-flavoured vocals. Maintaining the claustrophobic mood, “T. Bombay” looks backward with rubbery acid patterns and scurrying beats, while Richard Devine returns the EP to 2005 by surgically eviscerating the title track. The combination works perfectly, with Devine's cold cerebral stylings offset by the humanizing qualities of Kill Memory Crash's admittedly sinister sound; if the remix here is a reliable indicator, an album-length treatment might be a perfect album project for Devine.

April 2005