Second Nature

The Young Gods are the original techno-goth-metal-punk band, having both predated and (apparently) outlasted their disciples, which include Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. Their ninth album, Second Nature, is perhaps their most techno-oriented to date, yet it still features the wide array of styles that have made them consistently appealing to underground fans. The opening tracks, "Lucidogen" and "Supersonic," are fast-paced industrial dance rockers, with frontman Franz Treichler singing in his trademark breathy and electronically distorted voice through a virtual wall of tightly compressed guitars and pumping bass and drums. "Astronomic" buries the thunderous machine drums under a swirling pool of bass-heavy acid tones, while "The Sound in Your Eyes" combines jack-stepping nu-metal beats with trance-inducing arpeggio synth lines. But far more interesting is when the Young Gods turn their superb songwriting skills into slow dark numbers like "Laisse Couler (Le Son)" and "Toi du Monde," both of which are produced with the careful craftsmanship of excellent dubby techno that could stand on its own even without the vocals. The instrumental ambience of the closing track, "Love 2.7," proves this point. The Young Gods seamlessly tie together the often disparate genres of industrial and electronic, proving that there are two different veins within the same body of electronic music. Fans of both should be pleased.