Reaper (2) – Babylon Killed The Music

Honestly this release caught me off guard.

I knew that Vasi and Gregor joined together to continue Reaper. Gregor Beyerle is part of Skyla Vertex which is btw another highly recommended artist.
Anyway. Honestly the single release from before, "Der Schnitter", was ok but didn't meet my expectations. I personally loved the dirty, noisy, hellish TBM sound that Reaper had 2005-2010. The new 2015+ sound was a bit too unusual for my taste. But I eventually grew into and I think that the single was ok. 6 times the same track in different mixes/remixes was just a bit too boring.

When they announced their new album I expected more or less more of stuff like "Drive Thru" which was released on a Resistanz Compilation only in 2015. But in my opinion this doesn't really fit the sound of the album. In fact its extremely difficult to figure out what genre it mainly is. Because there is everything. Industrial, EBM, EDM, House, general Electronics and even stuff like Synthwave. I guess the term EDM would fit the best but it also doesn't fit to a few tracks. This is due to the sheer amount of different styles. I was astonished by the musical firework Vasi and Gregor produced. Some tracks are hard and fast and others are calm and slow.

But now let's talk about the tracks. "Cracking Skulls" was already known from a compilation, though it was a different mix (James Bones Mix). Some hard pumping mixture of EBM and Industrial I would say. "The Sound Of IDS" is pure Industrial, no wonder, IDS stands for Industrial. "Sledge Hammer" reminds me a bit of Purple Rain (another Reaper track from 2010) but only a little bit. Its hard to describe this track. After the half it even turns into a full fledged uplifting EDM track. "Farewell" is pretty much EBM with maybe some EDM in it. Followed by the track "We Are Reaper" which is honestly one of the weirdest tracks I ever heard. Its a very calm and "atmospheric" Industrial track with a very weird and creepy sample. I can absolutely not describe this track. You have to listen it. But in my opinion it doesn't really fit onto the album. Doesn't mean its bad. I hardly imagine anyone dancing to this. Sechzehn Punkte Plan is a great EBM/Industrial track which goes straight into your knees and forces you to dance to the rhythm. Its kind of monotone but extremely satisfying in my opinion. Might even have a bit of a oldschool EBM tone. "Neophyten" is again one of the odd tracks. The samples are really odd but the track itself animates someone to dance. Guess it is some sort of EBM mixture with a touch of oldschool. "Footprint" is a Industrial hard but slow pumping Ambient track which reminds me of :Wumpscut: or [:SITD:] instrumental tracks. This comparison might seem a bit odd but :Wumpscut: or [:SITD:] fans might know what I mean. Just give the whole track a listen. "Aladin Killed JFK" is a full fledged Industrial/EDM crossover track which might sound a bit monotone but goes straight forward. "Divide The Sea" sounds very experimental. Its a slow Electronic track with Ambient, Downtempo, Techno and small Synthwave elements. Very atmospheric and futuristic but it is difficult to find words for it. "Silver Love" was probably my biggest surprise. Its a pure Synthwave track which can mess with tracks from artists like Perturbator anytime.

In the end I have to say it was a very pleasant audio journey. It's really hard finding words for it. Just so many different styles that are used. I really love the album as a whole even though I guess "We Are Reaper" does sound more like a B-Side track. For me this is the "worst" track of the album. Pretty much the only one I can name there anyway. Reaper evolved their sound successfully and turned into something that is just so much more than just TBM. Really a surprise for me. I am not sure whether I like "Hell Starts With An H" more or "Babylon Killed The Music". Both are just masterpieces in their own.

My final verdict is 9/10 points.
Definitely something to check out, also for the old fans but don't expect the same TBM sound from before because you will get disappointed. Reaper showed how to evolve the right way. Bands like Combichrist could definitely learn from it. But this was maybe just a experiment for Vasi and Gregor so don't expect all their releases to be like this one now. Beside I also recommend you getting their latest "Der Schnitter" single, Drive Thru from the Resistanz 2015 compilation and the James Bones Mix of Cracking Skulls. Released on Digital Infaction Vol. 2.