16Volt is a unique animal. Where the Industrial/Electro crowd is generally known for staying on the cutting edge of sounds within genres, 16Volt tend to dwell in this kind of shadow zone outside of the norm where their music is inherently timeless. Meaning, unlike many of their peers with dated material or outdated schticks, 16Volt has somehow managed to make the kind of music that ranges the entirety of their genre so that any song they create sounds as at home in the late ’70’s/early ’80’s as it does in the now. Which brings us to the present and their first new full-length in almost 9 years (And first for Metropolis Records in 14 years!), More Of Less, which totally encapsulates that opening statement.
Lead single “White Noise” is the proof in the pudding here displaying a sound that’d, ahem, sound cutting edge in the age of Pretty Hate Machine as much as in the one where Skinny Puppy is retiring following their brilliant final bow of Weapon. 16Volt mainstay/mastermind Eric Powell has no problem navigating soundscapes/vocal cadences and as for a “comeback single” (Let’s be clear, though, 16Volt was never really out of the collective unconscious of the Industrial crowd), it’s equally epic, intrinsic, and necessary.
Before that, “More of Less” is a driving opening opus that stands up with some of 16Volt’s greatest starters (Lookin’ at you, “I Fail Truth” and “I’m Just A Mess”) while “On Memory Lane” is filled with an infectious buzz offset by Powell’s smooth vocal delivery. “The Worst of Us” is a catchy little ditty (Yes, kids, Industrial music can be catchy…) and “If You Like It” is vintage 16Volt with a sound that’d fit right in on Wisdom but also on Beating Dead Horses.
“Empty As Hell” begins with a static cadence and buzzsaw riffage straight outta the Supercoolnothing era yet sounds just as biting as anything produced today, “Unfolding Time” begins amidst a futuristic fervor and quickly escalates into an Nu-Electro behemoth with Powell’s serene vox adding to the overall aura, and “Add It All Up” is a subtle banger, brimming with pouncing pulses. “Then The World” is visceral… until it’s not as it floats into an ethereal realm before “Down Here” provides an appropriate end that’s scintillating yet subdued, showcasing all the deeper intricacies and nuances that 16Volt bring to each and every track they release.
More Of Less is out now through Metropolis Records and you can grab a copy in a variety of formats by heading here or to the stream below. For more from 16Volt, hop on the information superhighway and make stops here, here, and here for all the socials.