Shock Front

Scott Sturgis' debut release as Converter, Shock Front, is nothing less than a resounding aural assault created in a style that is set to take over a slice-technoid noise scene. Sturgis' approach varies here from his Pain Station project. Shock Front has a heavy percussive feel, heavily distorted beats providing the structure from which rhythmic noises hang. Small undistorted electronic sounds seep in at the edges and keep the feel from growing stagnant. This approach can seem similar to contemporaries such as Imminent Starvation, but the texture of the noise is harsher, the essence of the aggression found in Pain Station. Even the quieter tracks, such as the title track, "Shock Front," or the dark "Spirit Shield," don't stay that way for long. With the shortest of the 11 tracks being over four minutes and more closer to the ten-minute mark, Sturgis has avoided the pitfall of monotony that some noise artists experience, varying feel and structure within the same track. "Denoginnizer," the longest track on Shock Front, is a noise epic, arguably featuring both the gentlest and harshest moments on the release. Shock Front has all the marks of a release set to become a classic in the genre. Any fan of the growing dancefloor noise movement would do well to pick up this release, as would anyone looking for a more challenging aural experience.