Atotal

Franck Vigrouxs album Atotal consists of material composed for a live audio-visual presentation of the same name. The music is jagged, dystopian chaos in extremely high definition, ranging from dramatic horror-synth to bleak minimalist soundscapes. The best moments, like blowout opener "Swinging Total" and the banging "Lame," are a mixture of heavy post-industrial beats with vast floodlights of noisy synths. "Accelerando" approximates a hyper-dramatic panic sequence, inserting a brief moment of eerie, whistling calm in the middle. "Desarticule" is closer to a darker, more technologically advanced breed of synthwave, while "Paranoia" is industrial terror-gaze on par with Author & Punisher. Seven-minute closer "Total Primus" is an expertly paced suspense epic, gradually spiked with electrical surges before reaching total meltdown at the end. The albums quiet pieces seem necessary in order to provide contrast, but theyre definitely not as interesting and seem like they might have a greater effect in the context of the live show. Still, Atotal is a powerful work that demands the listeners full attention. ~ Paul Simpson