IXXI - Elect Darkness (2009)

Is the title of this album seriously "Elect Darkness"? Yes, yes it is, my friends. I cannot say exactly what drove the blackened metal maniacs in IXXI to choose such a gag-inducing and stupid title for an album released in 2009, but I can say that it is only the first in a series of questions that spring to mind upon popping this in for a listen.

Gone are the mid-paced hammering rhythms that characterized the excellent S/T of 2007. The tin-laced snare has gone, as are the snarled vocal stylings that so well characterized the debut. Granted, Assorted Armament, the second of IXXI's albums to drop that year, already saw a change in styles. Elect Darkness, then, is no real surprise, but it is certainly a disappointment.

There are some good bits here. The opening riff of the title track is pretty righteous, and the spooky guitar sounds in the first bits of "Vindicator" are grim reminders that this band can do original things and do them well.

By and large, though, Elect Darkness meanders through an uninspiring variety of bland tracks. Totalscorn seems to be leading the charge for new sounds with a vocal style that goes far beyond the simple frog-snarls of the self-titled record. Unfortunately for him, it only serves to distract from the urgency that made IXXI's debut great. The same can be said for the rest of the band, as well, but the vocals are the most noticeable difference (and detraction) from their previous efforts.

I'm not sure what can drive a band to release such an interesting debut and completely change their sound down to the most base elements within two records, but IXXI has done it. If you didn't enjoy their first releases, there may be something here for you to latch onto, but those of us that did are left scratching our heads and wondering what went wrong.

Verdict: Fail [4/10]

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