In_zekT – ARTIFEX (2013)

Beautifully presented in a lush digipack, today we have Norway’s In_zekT and their futuristic release “ARTIFEX”. In this ten-song album, this duo delivers a punishing combination of Industrial Metal with some Avant-garde elements and dissonant Noise/Drone undertones. With a very unique and devastating sound, the band transports the listener to a decadent soundscape since the first track.

“Strain Reactor” immediately blows the listener away with punishing vocals and psychotic electronic elements. The band reminds us a bit of acts like Aborym, Control Human Delete, and Malignant Eternal. The programmed drums are top notch and on tracks like “ARTIFEX” you can draw some comparisons to the all-mighty Mysticum. Riffing-wise, “Sub-Humanist” and “Overman” deliver the goods in brutal onslaughts. The clean vocals on this last track really separates the band from the rest and puts the in the level of acts like Sybreed.

The catchiness of the In_zekT’s music is quite effective and songs like “Ionize”, “Termination Sequence”, and the ethereal “No Fate but What We Make” are quite solid and really show the band’s excellent composition skills. This last song being our favorite track of the album thanks to its commanding synths and overall trippy/atmospheric vibe. Noise/Drone tracks like “Dialing the North Code” and “[0]” are not our cup of tea, but they nicely change the pace of the release and allow the band to have a more diverse and expansive sound.

As a whole, “ARTIFEX” is quite a solid release that will rattle your senses. If you like bands like Mysticum, Diabolos Rising, Kovennant, you better not be missing this release. With 10 tracks of punishing and futuristic music, this is the perfect soundtrack for your Blade Runner-fueled LSD trips.

Label: Self-Released

Release: November 1st, 2013

Genre: Industrial/Avant-garde Metal

Country: Norway