Shock Frontier — Tumult

Returning to Malignant for their second release, American duo Shock Frontier's Tumult mixes the grim soundscapes of dark industrial with the menacing doom of death industrial. Over nine, cold tracks, Shock Frontier reveals a bleak soundscape for the listener, rife with post-apocalyptic furor. For those days when one is feeling that the sun is too bright, and the air is too warm, Tumult will remind him or her that it won't last for long, and a grim end is still within reach.

Dark and evocative, while still pushing forth with a rusted out factory industrial fervor, Tumult encapsulates both sides of a grim spectrum. There is a subtle beauty in the impending darkness, but also heartfelt emotion in the passion of the metallic pounding. Somewhat distant pieces like "What We Are" are juxtaposed nicely against rough, noisy numbers like "Duress." The sparseness lends itself well to be whipped up into a feedback tinged, industrial frenzy. This then opens up the album to a bit more spread of sound, and shows Shock Frontier's strength with building evocative soundscapes. These well crafted soundscapes are given delightfully rough and mean industrial peaks that help this record to stand on its own. This skillful mix of styles keeps Tumult fresh and invigorating, and the grim vocals will keep the listener on edge. Unfortunately, there are a number of samples interspersed throughout the album that feel kinda stale, but thankfully Shock Frontier doesn't rely too heavily on these.

Shock Frontier's second release, Tumult, plays on the grimness of dark ambient and the gritty, power of death industrial. Bringing forth a suffocating, post-apocalyptic vibe, the nine tracks on display offer a view of a cold, factory floor future. Put this together with Malignant's top notch packaging, and one has a winning combination.