Inline.Sex.Terror, a Greek dark electro act fronted by George H., aka DV/h, released their latest full-length, ‘Architecture of Madness,’ September 30th, 2011 on MinusBeat/DSBP/Mutant-E Records. As of late, Greece has been the exporter of top-notch dark electro- think Siva Six, PreEmptive Strike v.1, and CygnosiC. These bands had some of the most impressive releases thus far the past year, and when the smoke has cleared, we can add ‘Architecture of Madness’ to the list.

What is immediately apparent is the maturation of sound since 2008’s ’11:11.’ DV/h has added some truly disturbing atmosphere to his repetoire, creating an almost loose thread of psychosis that ties things together. Artistic embellishments are all well and good, but what we really want from a dark electro album is simple: move us, make us dance, and stir blood and passion- good dark electro feels like you’re getting punched in the face repeatedly with barb-wired brass knuckles while pogoeing on the killing floor (in a good way) - and not only that, you’re LIKING IT. Suffice to say, ‘Architecture of Madness’ passes the litmus test with flying colors.

After the tension-building walk to the murky cell of this twisted sanitarium that is ‘Intro,’ ‘Distorted Life’ (from last year’s EP) kicks into 4-on-the-floor hellektro overdrive- it is a crunchy, thick number that any rivethead would have no trouble stomping to between Nachtmahr and Tactical Sekt. ‘Das Ist Alles (featuring VaNa-X) is a violent, beat-driven, grotesque beast casting the listener even further into darkness and depravity, complete with a dichotomous blend of harsh vocals and a sultry female melody. ‘Hellektro Girl,’ one of AoM’s standout songs, paints a vulgar picture of a vacuous club-femme fatale: “I like clothes- I like noise- I like sex- I like hellektro.” It is on these songs that Kolja Trelle’s (Soman) mastering stands out most- every note and beat is devastatingly effective.

‘Architecture of Madness’ hits its highest mark with ‘Closed Minds,’ a collaboration with Tommy T of Diverje- “I need you to open your eyes now… Wake up” a sample implores us before oontzing into Tommy’s trademark distorted vocals- like John the Baptist crying in the wilderness, Tommy laments in the chorus: “Everything is wrong- nothing is right… We live in backward times!”- in many ways, the conscience of the industrial scene, Tommy’s diatribe hits hard, perhaps bitingly for some.

While well over half of this album is above-average dark electro, a good portion convey their message through samples and intense floor-fillers- songs like ‘Prostituierte des Teufels’ and ‘Brain Tumor’ with their heavy kick and trance elements cast an addictive, simultaneously gruesome, auditory pallor; while‘The Signal’ stomps along in a similar fashion, taking heavy samples from the 1980s cult classic film ‘They Live.’ The only real weak spot for me was ‘Ghost on Earth’- for me, this is where the album stalled a bit; this track had a futurepop flavor that could have worked, but the vocals weren’t happening for me.

DV/h’s vocals her possess a cadence and whisper-scream harshness which personifies the particularly “Greek” brand of harsh EBM, reminding me of a cross between Kriminal Minds and early Menschdefekt- the majestically disturbing slow burn of ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’- my favorite track on the album- showcases it best: highly atmospheric, thudding stomp accompanied by striking roars in possession of serrated, horrific jaws. The album ends with a remix by Berlin’s adoptedCHILD- a decent remix, but the band really doesn’t alter the original significantly enough to leave their own stamp, imho.

Despite a few weak moments here and there, ‘Architecture of Madness’ is a hell of a dark electro album, a descent into the abyss, a journey through the recesses of a twisted mind where all sorts of things profane and anathema are etched into the concrete walls. While DV/h has not exactly reinvented any conventions or reformulated aggrotech, Inline.Sex.Terror brings their own brand of non nova sed nove dark electro to the party- I can imagine it working equally well on the dance-floor or as a soundtrack to one of the ‘Saw’ movies.