Search - Download :: Furnace

Industrial/ambient brilliance!

Ilker Yucel | Annapolis, MD United States | 05/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"cEvin Key and Dwayne Goettel's first outing as Download (and Dwayne's last before his death) showed a progression into industrial electronic territory far more experimental than even Skinny Puppy's stranger moments. With the help of Philth and Mark Spybey, "Furnace" plays out like a soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic wasteland (much like the holographic cover). The music ranges from hard industrial beats to sonic ambience the likes of which is rarely heard outside of the "Blade Runner" soundtrack. Utilizing everything from hardcore guitar samples and distorted vocals to middle eastern melodies and treatments, there is no stone unturned on this album. There is a steady flow from the freaky and harsh first half of the CD to the more soothing passages of the second half. "Sigesang" is definitely the most brutal song, starting somewhat moderately befor blasting into a combination of pounding synths, distorted noise, and buried vocals. "Seel Hole" sets the tone for the whole CD, starting things off with a combination of frenetic beats and textured ambience. Genesis P. Orridge's vocals on "Omniman," "Lebanull," and "Marred" add a frightening quality, sounding both malevolent and mechanical at the same time. I could say more, but it would be redundant. The music relies less on typical song-structures, and more on a sense of the feeling of the music. Texture takes precedence over melody, giving it the sense of a soundtrack to an unmade movie. It's a CD full of dissonance and beauty, perfect for anybody who needs to unwind. Whether you like rage or serenity, this CD has it all, and it all works. I'm less familiar with Download's later work, but if it's anywhere as good as this, consider me a fan. Give it a listen."

10 years ahead of it's time...,make it 20.

Erik | Holland | 07/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well,Skinny Puppy had their impact on modern electronic music,Download takes you with the Furnace album even further.Big threatening soundscapes where effects are played like instruments.Listen alone at high volume,when the music stops you're bathing in sweat looking around,wondering what you just listened to.A must buy for any advocate of experimental electronic music."

Get it?

Ezra J. Miller | Flagstaff, AZ United States | 10/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"this vancouver project combines the visionary sound artistry of skinny puppy members, phil western (tranquility bass) and mark spybey, courtesy dead voices on air.
furnace has a language all it's own. i can see why some reviewers took a while to appreciate it.
there is definitely an alien complexity at work here, amidst the
rhythmic cacophony of cut~up vocal distortions and
post~industrial shore line scraping.
sigesang disintegrates into sheer glitch noise with crunchy guitar straight off process and some video game sounding
bassline matched perfectly with sliced and diced vocals that, as an earlier reviewer noted, will rip your wallpaper off.
still, the album does have it's ambient moments.
stone grey soil, attalal, and beehatch are more down~tempo,
chill~out themes preluding their more "accessible" and most
recent work, effector.
furnace winds it's way like an intoxicated fiery serpent thru danceable excursions and strange mezmerizing distorted poetry (what exactly does jolk mean anyway?)
vocal contributions by genesis p~orridge on omni~man, lebanull, and marred are hilarious, subversive, and volatile as ever.
get it, you'll come back different."