Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Go to the Puissance website  Puissance - Total Cleansing [Blooddawn / Regain - 2001]

Buy this CD now!
Puissance is probably more known for its radical views upon the world than for its music. But the newest release "Total Cleansing" should change that. With the help of Blooddawn / Regain Records and a slightly more accessible sound the Swedish duo is ready to take over the world...and destroy it.

Puissance started at the infamous Cold Meat Industry label, releasing two full-length albums ("Let Us Lead" and "Back In Control") and a 7" ep ("Totalitarian Hearts"). After that, Puissance changed to the Polish Fluttering Dragon records and released "Mother Of Disease". At the time it got released this was certainly their best work, but the following MCD "Hail The Mushroom Cloud" was rather disappointing. And with "War On", a release containing mostly re-done versions of old tracks, Puissance ended the cooperation with Fluttering Dragon. Two new 7" eps were released on small labels, called "A Call To Arms" and "Genocidal" respectively. In the year 2000 Puissance got signed by Blooddawn Productions (one of the Marduk guys' label, for those who don't know) and with "Total Cleansing" Puissance released their fifth full-length.

When reading the titles of the releases in the short history above, one can see that Mr. Soderlund and Mr. Muller don't have a really positive look upon the world. I quote from a interview: "Puissance want to exterminate life and the forces that drive the world into insanity, we loath evolution be it in plants, animals or humans, it's all the same, biological waste and it should be terminated." This is translated musically into apocalyptic neo-classical arrangements, supported by military battle drums and the authoritarian speeches by Fredrik Soderlund. Speeches proclaiming the forthcoming armageddon and generally telling the listeners how pissed off he is with this world.

The music of Puissance has always evolved from simple neo-classical arrangements into complex and professional music, more melodic yet harsher than their earlier work. On their new album they take another step further in structure, vocals and lyrics. For the first time is Puissance's history the tracks are real "songs" with chorus sections, making the music more convenient than for example "Back In Control" (which has the same kind of feeling as "Total Cleansing"). I knew that Fredrik is a versatile person, looking at the man's other bands like Parnassus, Octinomos. Valkyria, Tripwire, ... Now he also uses real singing vocals in the previously mentioned choruses alongside the speeches. The vocals are certainly not the best I've ever heard, but they create a melancholic feeling and a sense of hopelessness, and that is exactly what the duo aim for. The military drums are not gone completely, but different, not really harsher but not softer either. As for the lyrics, the misanthropic, apocalyptic concept is still there, but some of the tracks have a different subject: the corruption of the press and media. When reading through the lyrics one can only say that they're absolutely right, bringing you back to reality.

"Total Cleansing" is Puissance's best album to date. Powerful, grand compositions, melancholic vocals and recognizable lyrics wrapped in a industrial and very atmospheric package. They have changed yet you can hear the typical and unique Puissance elements they are known for. For those who love to hear music coming out of a dull computer, the full album can be downloaded at their homepage in not-so CD quality. But I can assure you that the beautiful digipak is worth the money.

Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5

Justin Faase
Latest Reviews

Puissance - Total Cleansing
Puissance is probably more known for its radical views upon the world than for its music. But the newest release "Total Cleansing" should change that. With t...
290324   Stuart Argabright & AfterAfte...
290324   Piranha - Piranha(DVD)
280324   Typhoon Club - Typhoon Club(B...
270324   Jerzy Skolimowski Collection ...
260324   Latex Choker - Sealed
260324   Occlusion - 59: No Input Wall
260324   Nihil Impvlse - Anabasis
260324   Marta Forsberg - Sjunger För...
260324   The New Boy - The New Boy( Th...
250324   The Stargazer’s Assistant - ...
Latest Articles

The Music of Clay Ruby & Burial H...
Over the last couple of decades Wisconsin native, Clay Ruby has been creating some of the world’s finest dark electronic music under the Burial Hex mon...
280324   The Music of Clay Ruby & Buri...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom