AURORA - PROJECT PITCHFORK - Quantum Mechanics

A short while after “Continuum Ride” (2010) and “Dream, Tiresias!” (2009), Peter Spillerg and Dirk Scheuber's project arrives at a new studio effort, their thirteenth if we count full-lengths alone (earlier this year also saw the release of “First Anthology”, their first compilation celebrating the band's twenty years of activity).

Starting out with sounds close to the electro-industrial of Skinny Puppy, Project Pitchfork later moved (after a phase closer to electronic darkwave) towards a rougher, darker-toned EBM.

“Quantum Mechanics” confirms the tenor of their recent albums, ending up recalling the work of Suicide Commando or Wumpscut.

The Pitchfork sound is now marked by a clear-cut homogeneity that was missing in their early records, when the band tended to cram far too many ideas into a single album. That homogeneity, however, has also brought about a general flattening of their sound.

Moreover, what used to be a particular knack for spot-on melodies has in recent years been replaced by a pronounced lean towards easy dancefloor rhythms, impoverishing their musical exploration in the process.

Few peaks define Project Pitchfork's 2011 output: what's missing is the "slap in the face" for the listener, even though the album harbors plenty of "scratches" within it, with Spiller's voice almost always distorted, dominating a decidedly dark and harsh context.

At times that exquisitely sci-fi flavor resurfaces in the array of sounds, most notably in the instrumental "tails" of the tracks: genuine outros that close out the songs, setting them into an ideal alien soundtrack.

Martial and anthemic, the ten tracks of "Quantum Mechanics" represent a sure bet within their own field: perhaps not enough of a sure bet to win over newcomers, but one capable of satisfying longtime fans.

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23/11/2011