Xanopticon - Alembic

This is the record of the year, right here. There's nothing on it that I don't like, but the DJ Hidden remix will absolutely floor you. It's somber, growly, sad, angry, hopeful... fucking insane. Just when I thought I was getting bored with breakcore, this record came along, grabbed me by the balls and gave a good twist.

While the Hidden remix is the obvious standout, I'd have to say the Atomhead track is a close second. It starts out a lot slower than the rest of the tracks, but it fucking pounds. Shards of sound fly in every direction and I can't help but think of early Somatic Responses stuff given a more modern interpretation. At a couple of points, the bassdrums are doubled up and it just hits you with a pulsating wave of glorious, gut wrenching noise.

The package itself is top notch. The record is red vinyl and the sleeve has some of the scariest artwork I've ever seen. After this record and last year's impressive "Jagoff Uprising" boxed set, I'd have to say that Thac0 Records is looking like a beacon in a sea of the same old, same old. This is what the future sounds like, and isn't that why you got into this music to begin with?