Final – Dead Air

the first in a series of final albums and ep's that were either distributed
by tiny labels or released as download-only items, 2008's "dead air"
marks a departure from the immediately appealing, melodic "2" and
"3" albums. it's very experimental, very electronic and very dark even
by broadrick's own standards, yet hangs together remarkably well. the
only track that's reminiscent of final's trademark layering of processed
guitar lines is the title cut, and even that one's pretty harsh and
creepy. it's all a bit like godflesh's "songs of love and hate" set to a
post-apocalyptic scenario on such tracks as the vaguely romantic
'machines-take-over' assault of "fearless systems" or the utterly
disturbing riot of "descendre" ."disordered" is particularly impressive
with its array of horn-like stabs and static crackles that fade into
descending bass pulses, only to return even more ominously.
"subterrane" truly lives up to its title and gives the impression of a
mole working its way through some intoxicated industrial wasteland:
gut-wrenching guitar distortion bursts periodically into an already
harrowing bed of deep drones and signal-like feedback. overall, the
level of sonic wizardry is stunning. it probably won't stop the album
from being a collector's item (and it was designed this way),
but "dead air" remains a uniquely compelling listen.