Review: Chrysalide – 'Personal Revolution'

CHRYSALIDE
'Personal Revolution'
DEPENDENT

Three years on from the French cyberpunk trio's last outing, 'Don't Be Scared, It's About Life', and Chrysalide are back with the unenviable task of trying to top what was considered a very strong offering. The new long-player may see the band moving away from the sheer dissonance of its predecessor, but 'Personal Revolution' is just as forceful in its approach as the band mix old-school industrial structures, with synth-pop melodies, hip-hop beats and dubstep elements for a contemporary take on the genre that will undoubtedly have broad appeal.

There is a strong undercurrent of latter Skinny Puppy running throughout the album which gives every track a fundamental dance-friendly quality, but couple that with the fist-in-the-air and shout-a-long vocals and the album becomes much heavier and anthemic.

Songs such as 'Question Everything', 'We Are Not Cursed', 'Another Kind Of Me', 'Keep Calm', 'Substance Over Style' and 'Personal Revolution' give the album a strong backbone of dynamic dance-friendly cuts that really get under the skin. While the likes of 'Cynicism Is A Poison', 'It Gets In The Blood', 'All Demons' and 'I Had A Dream' keep things interesting with more experimental and deep flourishes that really show the extent of the band's song writing ability and a sense of unexpectedness to the listening experience.

The production is just as solid as the song writing and despite such a number of different stylistic elements clashing, the mix maintains a nice balance while preserving a central core sound which gives the album linear flow. There is a definite old school industrial vibe ever present, but this is fresh and modern in its execution and it sounds just right for 2014.

'Personal Revolution' is perhaps the band's strongest album to date. It is evident that they have taken their time and honed a varied yet cohesive whole. The album shouldn't fail to appeal to a broad selection of industrial fans with its nods to classic acts but always with a willingness to embrace new sounds and get a little experimental. Chrysalide have a future classic on their hands here.  

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