Tom Shears' debut release as Assemblage 23 is a powerful tour through a broken emotional landscape.
Pulsing electro melodies hover over ethereal sweeps of sound and play against the sometimes complex rhythms and beats.
On top of the layers of sound, Shears' rich vocals resurrect the notion of undistorted vocals in electro music.
The mix of moods varies, ranging from upbeat at the album's beginning ("Surface," one of the few tracks sporting vocal distortion), to melancholy minimalist ("Sun"), to plain scary (such as the pounding melodies of "Skyquake").
"Purgatory" has all the makings of a genre classic -- uplifting melody, contrast and complexity, and a stable dance beat.
The three remixes at the end provide an interesting contrast and fresh perspective on the album, featuring artists from Pain Station and THD.
Despite the album's strengths, some listeners may find that there isn't the variety of sound to hold their interest (arguably partly due to the mastering of the album, which at times can seem flat).
This is the only weakness on an otherwise impressive debut album, which solidly puts Assemblage 23 on the map of electro music.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AnthemTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 05:53 | 13 MB | 43 MB |
| 2 | SurfaceTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 05:05 | 11 MB | 42 MB |
| 3 | CowardTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 05:49 | 13 MB | 45 MB |
| 4 | Bi_PolarTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 05:57 | 13 MB | 48 MB |
| 5 | PagesTom Shear, Mike Stern | Assemblage 23 | Play | 04:45 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 6 | PurgatorySteve Harris, Tom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 05:48 | 13 MB | 45 MB |
| 7 | SunTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 34 MB |
| 8 | SkyquakeTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 06:29 | 14 MB | 51 MB |
| 9 | Never ForgiveTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 04:28 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 10 | 7 DaysTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 11 | CowardTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 05:49 | 13 MB | 45 MB |
| 12 | SkyquakeTom Shear | Assemblage 23 | Play | 06:29 | 14 MB | 51 MB |
| 13 | Coward (Melting Mix By Pain Station) | Assemblage 23 | Play | 07:12 | 16 MB | 47 MB |
| 14 | Skyquake (Voice Of God Mix By Manhole Vortex Protocol X) | Assemblage 23 | Play | 06:17 | 14 MB | 53 MB |
| 15 | The Drowning Season (DSKo2k Mix By Ed Vargo Of THD) | Assemblage 23 | Play | 06:06 | 13 MB | 44 MB |
| 83 mins | 192 MB | |||||
| 83 mins | 646 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assemblage 23 | Primary Artist |
| 2 | Steve Harris | Composer |
| 3 | Höst | Artwork |
| 4 | Tom Shear | Artwork, Composer, Vocals |
| 5 | Mike Stern | Composer |
| 6 | E. Vargo | Mastering |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |