Review: Inertia – 'Dream Machine'

 


INERTIA
'Dream Machine'
METROPOLIS RECORDS

Inertia have been around now for 25 years flying the flag for techno and pop infused industrial music and have left a great body of work in their wake. 2017 sees the release of album number thirteen in the form of 'Dream Machine' and what we get is a slower, more methodical Inertia that is in keeping with Gary Numan and Depeche Mode's recent albums. The band have always played with their sound and style from the get go and 'Dream Machine' sees the dark rock elements and the slower paces get more chance to shine this time round.

Inertia have always been a dance-orientated act and their back catalogue is awash with pounding club anthems. And there is till plenty to appeal to that side of their sound with tracks such as 'Only Law', 'Beyond Concrete', 'Afloat Above Abide', and the utterly brilliant 'Pray' providing some undeniable club bangers. But with the inclusion of the darker and rockier likes of 'Dream', the symphonic 'Starlight', Peter Gabriel classic 'Games Without Frontiers', and the minimal 'Solitudal' the emphasis shifts from dance beats and melodies into more complex instrumentation and heavier subject matters.

The slow pacing may throw some people off but the band maintain a balance with the production giving their more dance-friendly numbers the kick they deserve and at the same time piling on the atmosphere for the introspective tracks. The production as always is clean, modern, and befitting a band of Inertia's veteran status.

This album may prove a little more divisive this time around with its darker and slower feel. But even as they go in this direction there is still plenty of the catchy dance friendly core sound present to keep their long-time fans happy. It's a hard balance to strike but Inertia have managed to pull it off.  

Posted in: dream machine,Inertia,music