Cease.and.Desist

Reeling in Protest

Machinery Productions 2006

One trend I used to be dismayed by was the melding of death metal and industrial back with the early forays in this subgenre with the likes of Fear Factory and Eisenvater and even early Pitchshifter.  It had seemed that this particular experiment had lain dormant for awhile but has recently been reborn with the likes of V:28 and Red Harvest.  A new addition to these ranks is Cease.and.Desist.  I received a two track promo CD from them the other day with no expectations at all.  So I was able to approach it with an open mind and a clean slate.  In a sentence, these guys rule.  The biggest difference between the previously  mentioned bands is while they are controlled and calculated, Cease.and.Desist is more chaotic and takes more risks.  Their samples and industrial elements are more varied than either of those bands and it gives the whole project a feeling of freshness and your ears are never battered too long by the same element so the music doesn't have a chance to become stale or boring through monotonous repetition.  I feel that was a major drawback that some of the early bands fell into.  My favorite part is during track two when the song borders on throwing us into a metallized techno beat.  It really gets my mind racing and sounds futuristically ominous.  The vocals cover the whole spectrum to from a raspy death metal sort of shout to a cleaner scream all the way to some Gregorian samples.  The drum sound seems like a combination of programmed and natural drums which lends itself to some really interesting soundscapes.  They are so rapid fire and the tempo changes so often it adds a certain merciless air to the tracks.  I am told this is a preview to an upcoming full length album.  I am truly excited for the future.