Search - Unter Null :: Absolution EP

Female Fronted Electronic Body Music -- EP was lacking somet

M. Mierzwa | Davis, CA USA | 07/01/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"About the Band:

Unter Null is an EBM project fronted by well traveled American musician Erica Dunham (I say well traveled, as she has lived and produced music in several different countries). Erica makes extensive use of distorted vocals backed by an aggressive, dance-friendly "four on the floor" (4/4) time signature. However, her music also has a lighter / pop-like feel that will also appeal to fans of future pop and synthpop.



About the Album:

The Absolution EP was released at the same time as the Sacrament EP, as part of a "twin EP concept set". Though the two discs were sold separately, they feature slightly different mixes of the same songs. However, the track "Watch You Die" does not appear on Absolution. Absolution is set up such that the track "Endtime" alternates with the other three tracks. While I understand not wanting to place the same song back to back for 37 minutes (the length of the EP), the end result is "Endtime" is played four times and it feels as though this release could better be called the Endtime Single with a few bonus tracks.



Unsure of which album to try first, I ended up purchasing Absolution ... and fear I may have made the wrong choice. The album has never really managed to catch my interest. Though there are subtle differences between the four different mixes of "Endtime", they still sound so similar that I am left wondering what the other artists actually did in the mixing process. The exception is the XP8 mix, which really stands out (and is a really dynamic and interesting song).



If you enjoy lighter EBM, then you may enjoy this EP. Sadly there are no samples for you to listen to before making your purchase, so I'd suggest looking up Unter Null on myspace or her homepage. Since amazon does not always include a track list, I've listed the tracks in order. I've also marked the two tracks I like.



Track List:

- Endtime (Mnemonic mix)

- Disgrace

- Endtime

- Prophecy "

Good but not great like Sacrament

E. Anderson | 03/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I am a brand new fan to Unter Null's music. I first discovered Erica Dunhams' music through the internet over a year ago. I finally got around to buying her music. I first bought Sacrament, the first of two EPs Erica released last fall. I was immediately hooked and automatically bought "Absolution" to complete the two EP set. Both EPs consists of new songs and remixes. I immediately loved "Sacrament" because of the combination of melodies and Erica's distorted vocals. "Absolution" on the other hand took me several listens for the music to grow on. I think the remixes on "Sacrament" are vastly superior compared to the remixes on "Absolution", especially the remixes for "This is Your End". I could not recognize the HEADSCAN mix of "This is Your End", my favorite song off "Sacrament". As for the new songs on "Absolution", I definitely enjoyed them immensely especially "Disrgace" and "Endtime". I really liked the mix of clean and distorted vocals on "Endtime". It was nice to hear Erica's actual singing voice for once. Regardless of my preference of "Sacrament" over "Absolution", I still think "Absolution" is a must have to complete the two EP set."