BREATHE
THE LAUGHING DOLLS
ALBUM SYNTHETIC SYMPHONY RELEASE: APRIL, 2001 REVIEW: MAY 4, 2001

If you have been around in the synth scene for a while, you might have heard of the German band Placebo Effect which had a club hit in "Move". Front man Axel Machens has started this new project, Breathe.
The sound is somewhat of a continuation of Placebo Effect's beautiful laidback EBM, but there are some new elements. The overall impression is that it is much more ambient, modern and we get to hear some ballads as well. Two of these, "Deadline" and "Which Can Never Hurt Me", sounds very much like "Killing Game" by Skinny Puppy. This is not necessarily negative, but I find the similarities a bit too obvious. The ambient pieces are heavy on moody strings and dark melodies, which I like a lot.
Interspersed between the slower tracks are some fast dance tracks, such as "So Far", where you can hear a connection with the above mentioned "Move". This track probably works very well in clubs, and it's also a favourite of mine.
To sum it all up I must say I like this album, although it doesn't contain anything we haven't heard before. Moody ambient parts are mixed with dance tracks, that will make your feet move whether you want it or not.

JOHAN CARLSSON