When one thinks about dark electro, a few geographical locations immediately spring to mind as indisputable leaders of the style: Germany and Latin America; as of late, there has been much rumbling from Greece, a country quickly staking its claim in 2011 as a dark electro mecca. Inline.Sex.Terror, PreEmptive Strike 0.1, Nano Infect, Siva Six, and most recently, CygnosiC, are but a few of the bands paving the way. CygnosiC is one Georg Psaroudakis; after a self-released EP- 'In the Lag of Time'- CygnosiC released their debut album 'A Deity of Pain' on BLC Productions in 2009 to much critical acclaim. With the folding of BLC, the project was left without a label and made sporadic compilation and remix appearances until recently signing with Deathwatch Asia.

The 'One Step Forward' Ep consists of the title track, two remixes, and two b-sides. Over the past few years, I've grown to be really impressed by the quality of Deathwatch Asia's teaser Eps- we've been introduced to everyone from Detroit Diesel to Reaxion Guerrilla to Terrolokaust, and now, CygnosiC in this way- without fail, they have been of considerable arete and lacking in filler, a sonic prophecy of the shape of things to come. They did not disappoint here.

'One Step Forward' is a beast of a song- cold, brutal, and harsh; a trance-infused structure with cascading, melodic leads, aggressive, barked vocals, and a cimmerian, viscid bass all bashed apart by drums reveling in post-apocalyptic bacchanalia - it all leads into the majestic chorus: a wall of icy synths that would make Numan himself shiver. Psaroudakis' vocals call to mind Kriminal Minds at times, which is not a bad thing in my book! I dare say this number could easily be a floor filler.

Another original track is 'Burn', a collaboration between CygnosiC and Siva Six (who also produced this EP and 'Fallen'); a moody, mid-tempo piece with piano and orchestral elements at the forefront; it is stunningly subdued in comparison with the remainder of the EP, more intent on building atmosphere than a club scorcher. My only complaint about this song is that it ends rather abruptly, but perhaps that was the intention.

As far as the remixes go- Alien Vampires up the BPM and techno-element considerably on their remix, embellishing the song with echoing, melodic leads, turning the track into yet another fine example of their brand of “evil bloody music.” The remix from fellow Greek act Hydra Division V(members of which also play with CygnosiC live) is first-rate, managing to create their own spin, a calling card of a successful remix. Researching the Greek dark electro community for this review, and finding how tight-knit it is, I am even more appreciative that this EP, in a very real sense, serves as a good introduction to three of its brightest acts. The EP ends with a sample-heavy instrumental called 'Rising'- while I find the use of the siren (both in song and in a dj-setting) cliched, it's nevertheless a dancey track that writhes along with a huge amount of machine-like momentum.

All in all this is a very exciting taster for the forthcoming CD. CygnosiC have returned in top form, and the full-length 'Fallen' should be on the radar of all fans of dark electro. Deathwatch Asia continues to build an original roster that leave 99% of the other labels out there concurrently salivating and intensely lime green jell-o. I can only imagine, with recent additions to the roster like Surgyn (and jeebus knows who else), what great heights this label will reach in the industrial realm.