The Venom is going global is the debut album from Swedish act The Pain machinery. It is a band with at least one foot in the tradition of noise, as well as lot of influence from the older ebm scene. Ok, noise and ebm, you think, how exciting is that? Perhaps not so very, but The Pain machinery manages to get the best from both worlds and the result is impressive. Albeit the noisy soundscapes, this is surprisingly melodic music and there are new and interesting details to be found almost everywhere. The calm "Fly catcher" is an excellent track that at a first seems to consist of little but vocals and a rhythm track, but unfolds as an interesting piece after some listening. The following "System error" is very danceable and also one of the best on the album. The album concludes with a remix of "System error" which is more poppy and, perhaps, even better. If I am to point out the glitches of the album, it sometimes tends to feel a bit slow. The opening track "Blizzard" opens up good, and then keeps the listener waiting for a non-existing climax for four minutes. The same goes for "Hunter". But after the first half of the album that changes. The pace increases and the music gets harder, almost disturbing. And, of course, it is here we find the real gems. "Face down!", "One" and "This time I know" are all brilliant. The venom is going global is one of the best debuts I have heard for a long time and certainly promising for the future.

Rating 8/10
Review from Moving Hands

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