HAUJOBB VERTICAL THEORY ALBUM OUT OF LINE, METROPOLIS RELEASE: JULY 22, 2003 (USA) REVIEW: JULY 30, 2003

Haujobb's fans have a love/hate relationship with the band, everyone loves "Solutions for a Small Planet", "Ninetynine" was too extreme and just not "industrial" anymore (I loved it, by the way) and "Polarity" was well... oh just too much like "Solutions..." but not as good. Of course, there is no reason whatsoever why Haujobb should care what the "industrial" scene (or indeed, any scene) has to say about them as they redefine genres and then blow the doors off them. Some interviews with Daniel Myer have almost made it seem as though the pvc-clad rivethead lemmings had made him re-think Haujobb...
"Vertical Theory" is the band's sixth full-length and it shows that they are far from being out of ideas. This album carries on in the spirit of "Ninetynine" with angular atmospheres and wonderfully bizarre tones and sounds unlike any you've ever heard wreaking havoc; a minimalist feel of precision incarnates and permeates. There are, for the record, some very danceable tracks here but on whose terms are they given over to the conventions of a dancefloor? That would be Daniel's and Dejan's terms of course! Haujobb have made a record which sends them even further ahead than ever; they have made an uncompromising long player on which it sounds as though they are really enjoying themselves. Myer's voice sounds excellently off-key in some spots which is just what is required to give this band the shred of humanity that keeps them from sounding static. A lot of people gripe about his voice but who cares what they think. There.
"The Noise Institute" is based off of a slew of percussive samples and is the only track on "Vertical Theory" that has not completely enslaved me. I'm sure, given time that it will. "Concrete" is quite possibly the finest track ever cranked out by Myer and Samardzic. It is built upon string and atmosphere samples culminating in a most stunning finale that shows just how good they are at creating tension and writing thoroughly astounding drum'n'bass beats. And there's something else for the "industrial" crowd to get their boots scuffed up about: there are many many songs on this album which are powered by drum'n'bass based rhythms. No futurepop is to be found anywhere on this thing; it's amazing!

PETER MARKS