FEARPASSAGE
'Love, Hate & Devotion'
TWO GODS RECORDS
Florida-based
industrial musician returns with his third full-length album under
the Fearpassage moniker in the form of 'Love, Hate & Devotion'
five years after the last LP 'Our Children'. The time has been used
wisely though with the new album seeing a significant step forward in
terms of the quality of the songwriting and performances.
The album doesn't deviate too much from the classic electro industrial formula of steady dance beats meets melodic synths and harsh vocals. But it is a formula that serves them well and arguably has finally coalesced into what can be described as their own sound. Where their first album was somewhat half-realised, and their sophomore effort was more about finding their feet, album number three definitley feels like the project has come into it's own.
Songs such as 'Love, Hate & Devotion', 'Vicious Sin', 'Between Us', and 'Feelings You Hide' have great classic ebm elements that give them strong dancefloor potential, while the likes of 'Drowning', 'Left Behind', and 'Venom' get nice and dark to really draw the listener in.
Production-wise there are still some parts that feel a little more low-fi than they need to be, especially on the vocals that do seem to become a little swamped now and then. But on the whole it balances the aggressive, dark electronics with more melodic and progressive elements really well.
'Love, Hate & Devotion' is a big step forward for Fearpassage. The album has plenty of depth while keeping it's sonic pallet relatively straightforward. The result is the strongest album Fear has released thus far and one that continues to show off the potential of the project moving forward. Hopefully we won't have to wait as long next time for a follow-up.
The album doesn't deviate too much from the classic electro industrial formula of steady dance beats meets melodic synths and harsh vocals. But it is a formula that serves them well and arguably has finally coalesced into what can be described as their own sound. Where their first album was somewhat half-realised, and their sophomore effort was more about finding their feet, album number three definitley feels like the project has come into it's own.
Songs such as 'Love, Hate & Devotion', 'Vicious Sin', 'Between Us', and 'Feelings You Hide' have great classic ebm elements that give them strong dancefloor potential, while the likes of 'Drowning', 'Left Behind', and 'Venom' get nice and dark to really draw the listener in.
Production-wise there are still some parts that feel a little more low-fi than they need to be, especially on the vocals that do seem to become a little swamped now and then. But on the whole it balances the aggressive, dark electronics with more melodic and progressive elements really well.
'Love, Hate & Devotion' is a big step forward for Fearpassage. The album has plenty of depth while keeping it's sonic pallet relatively straightforward. The result is the strongest album Fear has released thus far and one that continues to show off the potential of the project moving forward. Hopefully we won't have to wait as long next time for a follow-up.