While one joint venture has come to an end, another has taken shape. Although both are also known for their independent work and aliases, duo Justin Broadrick (Godflesh) and Kevin Martin (the Bug) have set aside their run as Techno Animal. This time, they've teamed up as Zonal, releasing their first full-length Wrecked.
Like their previous venture together, Zonal work with a ton of genres (hip-hop, industrial, dissonant electronic) that seem to collide into one, rather than singularly stand out. What ultimately pulls ahead is an album at odds with itself. Throughout the first half of the release, which features vocals from Moor Mother on the first six tracks, the backing music becomes a cloudy cacophony, barely distinguishable from surrounding tracks, as guest vocals tend to drown out the monotonous underlying drone.
Only when the second half begins do we get a chance to hear what little nuance has made its way into the mix, yet we're still left with five-minute tracks that offer little to no variation, no layers, no builds, no mystery. While the sound splashed across Wrecked is quite gripping (exceptionally gritty electronic that heavily works the industrial angle), the lack of distinction within, and contrast between, tracks makes it tough to get behind.
