NITZER EBB INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX ALBUM MAJOR, ALFA-MATRIX, SOUND POLLUTION RELEASE: JANUARY 22, 2010 REVIEW: JANUARY 22, 2010

I think I have to start this review off with saying that I'm one of the few people in the world who likes "Big Hit". That album was released in 1995 and is generally considered a failure. It probably was commercially, but I think it contains some of the band's finer moments such as "Hear Me Say", "Kick It" and "Living out of a Bag". After this album the band split up, with Bon Harris and Douglas McCarthy going in separate directions and working on other projects. They finally reunited on stage a couple of years ago, and promised some new material that took forever to show up. Finally it's here though, and wow, what a comeback after those 15 years of silence!

Flood is producing again, and "Industrial Complex" is a sort of continuation of "Big Hit" but also their earlier, harder stuff. It's like a "best of" of sorts, but distilled and matured with perfect production values. It's groovier and heavier than ever, and Douglas is on top of things as usual, giving some of his best performances in a long time.

I'm very happy that Nitzer Ebb has returned with this powerhouse of an album, just in time to once again go on tour with Depeche Mode. Life really goes in circles. Speaking of Depeche, Martin L Gore sings backing vocals on "Once You Say", a song with a deliciously bubbling bassline and driving rhythm that perfectly represents the new Nitzer Ebb.

In a broader sense, I'm happy that one of the old school bands comes back and shows people how it's supposed to be done. With sheer musicality they position themselves light years ahead of most other bands in the modern EBM genre. Although, to be honest I'm not sure I want to put them there, even though they employ fast monotone basslines from time to time. Nitzer Ebb has moved on.

JOHAN CARLSSON