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

El Prêtro Maniaco - Opus Premum [Required Of Rate Records - 2018]

El Prêtro Maniaco is a one-man French project that creates an unwell & darkly hued blend of ambience, wonky synth 'n' slurred noise craft, and moody post-industrial sound-scaping. By all accounts, Opus Premum is the projects debut release- which originally appeared as a digital release in late 2015, but here it appears in both physical CDR & digital form on Required  Of Rate Records.

The release takes in four tracks, with a total running time of twenty-four minutes- so this is really more of an EP. As debut releases go this has both positive & negative sides to it- on the plus side many of the tracks here have a nicely wonky & ill-at-ease vibe about them, and the sometimes loose feel of the tracks offers up unsettling surprises. On the less successful side- the tracks often seem over too soon, not really fully pushing their potential. Some of the sample work is a little obvious, predictable, and at times mood break (one track features a sample from a Nightmare On Elm Street). And some of the tracks lack identity.

Things start in a most promising fashion with the just under six minutes of "L'homme aux yeux d'insecte"-  this is a darkly hazy blend of off-color & slow tone shifting synth simmer, slurred & grainy elector simmer, and wonky unease.  Track number two "Ghost Whip"- has a nice Schloss Tegal feel about it, rather bringing to mind the haunted-EVP-meets-slurred-dark-ambient-industrial vibe of 1999’s Black Static Transmission album.

While the other two tracks "Passion D'Outre-tombe"  & "Psykaenia (Final Cut)", feel less worthy and often more than little unfocused. The first brings together wound-down carnival-like jaunting synth chugs, with rather uninspired flow of sample flotsam & jetsam, including the one two Freddy’s coming for you from Elm Street. And the final track is made up of building & accelerating synth wows ‘n’ swirls, with the addition ritual rings- all topped with ill-defined & whispered male & female voice samples.

Opus Premum certainly does show promise, and the first two tracks are effective enough. I think there just needs to be a little more focus & flair present, as well as more care on what is used as sample fodder. Then we’ll maybe have a more wholly consistent release from the project.

Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5Rating: 2 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

El Prêtro Maniaco - Opus Premum
El Prêtro Maniaco is a one-man French project that creates an unwell & darkly hued blend of ambience, wonky synth 'n' slurred noise craft, and mood...
161225   Daniel Szwed - Splinter
161225   Marmur - Elektroniczne Systemy
151225   Danheim - Heimferd
151225   Stärker - Spectral
131225   Rose Tang & Patrick Golden -...
121225   Uriah Heep - The Shadow And ...
121225   Howard Stelzer - Five Thousa...
121225   BITTER SPINSTER - Scat Punk
121225   Cro-Mags - Alpha Omega
121225   Cro-Mags - Near Death Experience
Latest Articles

The Spectral Sounds of The Projec...
As music obsessives know, what makes a label fascinating is not just the sounds they release. The most intriguing labels offer a conceptual framework and con...
041225   The Spectral Sounds of The Pr...
281025   Michael Hurst Interview - Unb...
071025   Xiphos - The Rise And Fall Of...
030925   Third Window Films - A Label ...
130825   HNW fest- Barcelona- 12th Apr...
250725   Raté interview - Walled-in F...
180625   Matthew Holmes - Of razor-sha...
280525   The Residents - Visits From T...
090525   Ennaytch - Of walls, abused ...
150425   Dead, Dead Swans interview - ...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2025. Twenty four years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom