51 minutes, 47 seconds

Project Pitchfork
Lam-'bras

Like Jean-Luc De Meyer, whom I wrote about the other day, Project Pitchfork's Peter Spilles has one of the more recognizable voices in the industrial genre. Without the use of heavy distortion, he manages a deep yet plaintive growl that suits the lyrics he writes about the environment, war, and the human condition. Pitchfork's songs have individual personalities as a result--they're not just an endless parade of hard beats, horror-movie samples, and scorched-throat vocals.

This album, released back in 1992, was only their second, and it was a huge leap forward from its primitive predecessor, Dhyani. The arrangments are stronger, there's a more varied use of keyboards and pads, and it marks the debut of sometime guest vocalist Patricia Nigiani (Spilles's girlfriend at the time), who'd later go on to form her own band, Aurora.

Project Pitchfork would reach much higher highs than Lam-'bras within a few years, but I like this album. Some of the songs, like "Go Further" and "Storm World," achieve a propulsive and infectious energy that you didn't hear in many releases coming out of Europe in the early '90s.

It'd be awesome to see Pitchfork live, come to think of it. Have they ever come to the West Coast?

Also today:

51:45 Einstürzende Neubauten, Zeichnungen des Patienten OT
51:44 Concrete Nature, Encrusted
New arrival! 69:52 Various artists, Solaris
New arrival! 65:43 Genetic Selection, World of Tomorrow