After having released Wreath Of Barbs and Bone Peeler, Evoke is the third album in a row that will again split fans and critics around the world instead of reconciling them with :WUMPSCUT: mastermind Rudy Ratzinger. That the good old times are over is clear for a while, that Ratzinger would keep on this musical direction… as well.
It is just a shame that Evoke does not consist of enough substance to add weight to the course :WUMPSCUT: is following. Most of the time this record is spiritless, without style and concept. The fact that the female vocals got more room does not change anything, since the vocals generally are scaled down. Used melodies are often too trivial, rhythms are lacking of punch and the special grain of finesse (and heaviness). Sometimes, sounds and stylistic means remind me of sci-fi flicks from the 70’s (e.g. the title-track), where one could listen to weird compositions with odd and spherical tunes and transcendent notes, which was meant to display possible future developments in music and expected spiritualization of human society. But this utopia lacks (as so many others too) of a real basis. So it happens in this case when you compare Evoke with the current stuff on top in the Electro scene…
Material is lame on this record. Opener Maiden Maiden is mind-numbing and just dabbles along, only the great female singing stands out. Following track Churist Churist acts like an annoying ingratiation to Future Pop, combined with the embarrassing attempt to sound as exotic as Hocico, Punto Omega and other Mexican bands. The third track Don’t Go pleases me a little bit, but still falls short with old songs.
So the rest on this CD bobs up and down, interrupted by just a few exceptions (Rush, Tomb) or political doubtful stuff (text samples in Breathe).
Altogether a weak effort, even the good production cannot turn it around. Sorry, not more than 4 points.