Netherlands-based harsh noise/industrial band The Peoples Republic of Europe has just released their seventh album ‘Machine District’ on Denver, Colorado-based Vendetta Records. With influences that span the gamut from early industrial to dancehall, P-funk to techno, The Peoples Republic of Europe is one of those rare projects wholly in advance of the typical rhythmic noise sound. While past releases saw tPROE delving into terrain that included everything from harsh noise to dark ambient, ‘Machine District’ sees the group pushing themselves into topography more melodic and unrelentingly aggressive than ever before.

The one word that immediately springs to mind with this album is STOMPY. Things thud along right away with ‘Wake Induced,’”as a clinical, detached voice implores us to “Get comfortable... Let go of your thoughts... Look around you...”; it’s a piquant proem of things to come. The crunch continues with the brutally sublime ‘Dreadnought’- an energetic, violent exercise. ‘Automation Test’ is Skinny Puppy cum George Clinton funk, while ‘Deathstar’ and 'Burn Them All' keep the frentic pace going with bashing beats and crashing noise.

Hands down, the highlight of this record has to be ‘Stay Behind’, featuring Taury Goforth of Dead Hand Projekt. Perhaps the first Witch House /industrial hybrid, it lurks along in moody, lugubrious brilliance with melancholic leads and hip-hop inspired beats, while the Dead Hand Projekt front-man gets lost in existential rumination: “I need, I bleed, I try to see the fear in you and the pain I give to you.” This is a haunting, soulful track that maintains a reverberating beauty.

‘The Rebellion’ starts subdued, with ambient synthscapes, then kicks into high gear like power tools bashing concrete. ‘Centurion’ continues in much the same noisy vein as the previous tracks, with floor-shaking rhythm, like a violently masticating pit bull out for blood. ‘Disko Neubauten’ is another high point of the record- combining more grinding bass with jackhammer beats and gorgeous melody akin to hammers banging on sheet metal.

‘Shake It’ is the most unique song on the record- once again bringing to surface the Reggaton/dance hall/ funk influence, unifying tradition influences with industrial oontz. ’Amoklauf’ stomps along in similar manner to previous tracks, with sound bites from Seung Hui Cho thrown in: “Thanks to you, I die like Jesus Christ.” The final track ‘Welcome to the Machine District’ is an epic drum & bass-sounding number with freezing synths layered on top- this is our final stop on our journey into the fallen world tPROE has painted such a riveting portrait of; a cold, detached world where machine has overtaken humanity.

All in all, this is a stunning release, fans of previous albums like ‘Babylon’ and ‘Singularity’ will find much to love here. One of ‘Machine District’s particular strengths is its ability to be experimental while retaining crowd-pleasing crunchy oontz, to delve into realms like dark ambient while providing a virtual symphonic stomp-athon- this is machine music in its purest sense; tPROE will leave listeners simultaneously abused , exhausted, enthralled- I can’t recommend it enough.