Z PROCHEK VIEWERS ALBUM MEMENTO MATERIA RELEASE: MAY 24, 2004 REVIEW: JUNE 2, 2004

If I did not know better, I would be tempted to think that I had something to do with the surprisingly melodic revolution of Z Prochek, as my review of their debut "Intravenous" called for more focused songs and less industrial stalling. Now, before you get all your spiked hair cuts in a twist, "more focused" does not necessarily mean more commercial or radio friendly. The well tailored Swedish duo still very much look and sound electronic body music, albeit with their boots in fluffy clouds of pop dust.
"Outside Acts", "Behind the Screen" and "In Despair" intertwine pop with industrial body rhythms without falling into light weight futurepop and may appeal to those who claim that everything from Apoptygma Berzerk to Wumpscut sounds like eurodisco (I'm not one of them, mind you). More head-over-heels aggressively tinted body completes the "Viewers" picture and makes for utterly pleasurable listening from start to the garage-sounding synthpop ballad "All I Am" that ends the album. New vocalist Markus Bustad puts the icing on the Z Prochek cake, further enhancing the overall song strength of the band and building hope for the future of Swedish electro.

NIKLAS FORSBERG