IRM — Closure

Swedish industrial/power electronics act IRM has been active in the scene since the late nineties. In 2008, they released "Indications of Nigredo," which is the first installment of an unnamed trilogy. The culmination of this comes in the form of Closure from Malignant Records. Part power electronics, part theater show, IRM's latest is a nice mix of roughness and restraint.

Closure starts off with both boots on the ground, pushing forward with solid, fuzzy, metallic power electronics. The heavily flanged vocals offer a high contrast to the slowly ambling fury below. "Closure III" is where IRM takes a turn from the norm and introduces spoken word over quiet synthesizer buzz and the ticking of a clock. After a few minutes, the talking ceases and cascading waves of soft, white noise wash us into "Closure IV" and a return to more familiar territory. The vocals may be a bit on the goofy side, but it's a short song and is followed by the slow burning "Closure V." Long, droning buzz, distant screams, and sparse bass notes add atmosphere and gravity to the album. IRM returns to spoken word on "Closure VI" before upping the ante on "Closure VII." Dark, heavy synths ebb and flow like tides on some wicked ocean. The final two minutes are busy, noisy, thick, and lovely, and a good example of what IRM is capable of. There's another spoken word jaunt before finishing up with "Closure IX." IRM returns to the dark industrial vibe of the earlier tracks, and ends the album on top.

IRM's final installment of their trilogy is a solid slab of dark, heavy industrial music. The theatrical flourishes and spoken word elements are tough to pull off, but hit more than they miss. Fans of industrial should check this interesting album out.