SCHULDT FIRST ERROR CODE ALBUM AURINKO RELEASE: APRIL 14, 2003 REVIEW: MAY 13, 2003

Tim Schuldt. A man well-known in the trance and goa world but pretty much unknown in electro and industrial circles. Well, no more? Schuldt has decided to take his first step into this world with "First Error Code".
I'm not one to belittle artists who attempt to evolve and move outside of their original genre but I am afraid that at least with this album Mr Schuldt should have stayed where he was. The main problem with this album is that he's still writing songs like a trance artist. IE: excessively long build-ups coupled with song structures that change only once or twice for the entire duration of the track. He blends various layers quite seamlessly but unfortunately they are the same sounds he's used throughout the song, moved about ever so slightly.
It also does not help that he's recruited Myk Jung of The Fair Sex and Testify fame to take care of the vocals. Jung can only appear to vocalise in two styles: Slayer-style death metal screeching and howling or a desperate impersonation of Ministry's Al Jourgensen. Numerous genres are toyed with on this album, drum'n'bass (weakly) and even a nod to darkwave (unconvincingly) but I don't feel that this release will hold up to time's cruel caresses.

PETER MARKS