Serve the fucking machines! A decade ago, I might have thought that the notion of 'industrial black metal' would be such a natural that we would be seeing hundreds of acts in the field by now, creative and thinking sound scientists who would document the descent of all mankind into the great mechanism of his own conception. Granted, there are a fair number who have dabbled in the field and moved on, or persisted in some side project, but most seem content to stick with the traditional rock instrumentation to propel their sinister visions. This admitted scarcity is what makes a band like the Ukraine's Balance Interruption so special: they exhibit most of the traits of an industrial/black metal hybrid, but they do so without overly flouting their purely electronic elements. The results: revelations.

Era II: Deserts of Ashes sees the band join the ranks of Red Harvest, Aborym, Abigor and Thorns as having successfully bridged the Northern European, polished and dissonant black metal techniques into a poignant, mechanical landscape, and to have done so not only efficiently, but uniquely. As I hinted, much of the band's machine-like pacing is crafted directly through the drums and guitars, the former as precise as a factory, the latter almost tripping over themselves to channel forth riff after riff of both technical aptitude and well-oiled menace. Despite going overboard with so many elements, the band creates a persuasive cohesion. For example, take the track "Nine Octagonal Styars", which balances swerving, jazzy bass lines, robotic vocal processing, spikes of sinister dissonance, and even a strange, scratchy vocal sample into one of the most bizarre and engaging post-metal fusions beyond Norwegians Virus.

"Streams of Black Energy" features insane riffing amidst its stoic industrial applications, and the guitars just never stop arriving. "Taste of Enemy's Blood", "Fuck This World", "Deserts of Ashes" all deliver in spades, and even when the band thumps off a generic techno beat to open "Chaos Reign" it evolves into something ear catching and memorable. Probably the one element of Balance Interruption that doesn't stand out would be the stock black metal vocals, but then they're no less sufficient than most in the field. The fiber optic fabric of fusion here is well conceived and performed, and I very much recommend it to anyone interested in the hybrid of forms, especially if you enjoyed the past few albums from France's Reverence or the divisive Fractal Possession from Austrians Abigor. Plug on in. http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

The second album from Ukranian Black Metallers BALANCE INTERRUPTION, “Era II: Deserts Of Ashes”, is a complex stained-glass work of fury, borrowing from a variety of heavy sources. The first thing to attract my attention were the VOIVOD influences, apparent in tracks such as 'II. Mutation', some of its parts sounding so much like robots colliding in space. There’s a liberal amount of keyboard work on this album, but fear not, it’s no techno-mashup à la MORBID ANGEL. Rather, BALANCE INTERRUPTION uses the keyboard the way it should be used in Metal: as a companion instrument; something to accentuate a riff, not constitute a riff unto itself. For this I feel compelled to give BALANCE INTERRUPTION a thumbs-up just for having the decency not to over-use their electronics. However, there’s definitely more to this band than self-restraint. In every other respect, they are committed to delivering nothing less than darkness and ferocity. Track six, for instance, 'Streams Of Black Energy', is not blindingly fast, but the pace is thrashy, steady, and brutal. To put it short, BALANCE INTERRUPTION maintain a constant equilibrium between the slow and fast, all the while interspersing their Metal with effects and harmonics that contribute to the atmosphere of the record, not sit on top of it like glittery pixies. A great, interesting record! www.myspace.com/balanceinterruption, www.hammer-of-hate.com Nat Shapiro

Redan vid introt till Balance Interruptions fullängdare anno 2011 skramlar det till rejält. Det är nästan så man får för sig att ens avlidna f.d svärmor (R.I.P) gör en räd från andra sidan. Men det dröjer inte länge innan skrämselattacken passerat revy och allt återgår till det normala i detta IMMORTAL – sound alike album, främst vad sånginsatsen anbelangar på flertalet partier. Ukrainarna, NK- 47 och YAR har onekligen gjort sitt yttersta för att skapa ett sjukt galet album, som trots vissa liknelser med bla Immortal, inte liknar något annat jag hört tidigare.. Det är som en vild dans man skulle företa vid en lägereld i sommarnatten. med en magisk anspelning av föråldriga anor.. Och om man är ett fan av tex Dödheimsgard, så kommer man även gilla den absurt abnormala tekniskt reella suveräniteten Balance Interruption frambringar.. Jag gillar i allafall litegrann av detta album, även om jag inte är så stort fan av tekniska infallsvinklar i modern bm-anda…jag föredrar mer oldschool. Albumet editerades via Vengeful Attakk 2011 och distributeras genom Hammer Of Hate Records www.hammer-of-hate.com http://www.swedenmetal.se/?p=11419